Career profile · 47-5049
Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other
All underground mining machine operators not listed separately.
What the work can involve
Use the full O*NET occupation profile to investigate tasks and work activities for this role.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for underground mining machine operators, all other
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- No formal educational credential
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 9 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $106,840 | $51.36 | 70 |
| Illinois | $72,800 | $35.00 | 70 |
| Minnesota | $83,120 | $39.96 | 930 |
| Montana | $84,410 | $40.58 | Not published |
| Nevada | $59,810 | $28.76 | Not published |
| Pennsylvania | $54,480 | $26.19 | 50 |
| Utah | $67,200 | $32.31 | 180 |
| Virginia | $61,990 | $29.81 | 50 |
| West Virginia | $65,610 | $31.54 | 240 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 5 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- Continuous Mining Machine Operators→
- Crane and Tower Operators→
- Dredge Operators→
- Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas→
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining→
- Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters→
- Extraction Workers, All Other→
- Highway Maintenance Workers→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 47-5049.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.