Continuous Mining Machine Operators · SOC 47-5041
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Continuous Mining Machine Operatorss
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas
Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for continuous mining machine operators. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Top 13 of 13 metro areas
| # | Metro area | Median annual | Employment | Per 1,000 jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duluth, MN-WI | $86,230 | 50 | 0.4 |
| 2 | Wheeling, WV-OH | $66,300 | 120 | 2.1 |
| 3 | Charleston, WV | $65,280 | 70 | 0.7 |
| 4 | Beckley, WV | $64,270 | 120 | 2.9 |
| 5 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $63,250 | 710 | 0.3 |
| 6 | Tucson, AZ | $60,880 | 720 | 1.8 |
| 7 | Pittsburgh, PA | $60,780 | 140 | 0.1 |
| 8 | Tuscaloosa, AL | $58,430 | Not published | Not published |
| 9 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $57,900 | 380 | 0.5 |
| 10 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $54,690 | 60 | 0.0 |
| 11 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $48,120 | 120 | 0.1 |
| 12 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $47,950 | 100 | 0.1 |
| 13 | Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | $39,540 | 30 | 0.1 |
Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Continuous Mining Machine Operators overview.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.