Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining Salary Trend (2011–2024)

Historical salary and employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Median Salary in 2024
$52,550
17.3% since 2019

Median Salary Over Time

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining — Median Annual Salary
$44K$46K$49K$51K$53K201920202021202220232024$45K$53K

Employment Over Time

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining — Total Employment
31K35K38K42K45K20192020202120222023202444K34K

Key Insights

📈Salaries grew 17.3% since 2019 ($44,800$52,550)
🏆Peak year: 2024 at $52,550
🦠COVID impact: Salary remained relatively stable (+0.8%) through the 2020 pandemic year.
💰After inflation (~3%/yr), real growth is approximately +1%

Year-by-Year Salary Data

YearMedian SalaryYoY Change
2024$52,550+5.0%
2023$50,050+3.5%
2022$48,350+3.4%
2021$46,740+3.5%
2020$45,150+0.8%
2019$44,800
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2011–2024. All figures are annual median wages in nominal dollars.