Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2007

17-2151 Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers

Determine the location and plan the extraction of coal, metallic ores, nonmetallic minerals, and building materials, such as stone and gravel. Work involves conducting preliminary surveys of deposits or undeveloped mines and planning their development; examining deposits or mines to determine whether they can be worked at a profit; making geological and topographical surveys; evolving methods of mining best suited to character, type, and size of deposits; and supervising mining operations.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
7,150 12.9 % $38.23 $79,520 2.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $21.48 $27.41 $35.74 $45.97 $61.36
Annual Wage (2) $44,690 $57,010 $74,330 $95,620 $127,620

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 1,860 $33.77 $70,240
Metal Ore Mining 820 $32.94 $68,510
Coal Mining 820 $34.17 $71,070
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 440 $33.56 $69,810
Support Activities for Mining 330 $30.76 $63,980

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 240 $50.55 $105,140
Oil and Gas Extraction (8) $50.23 $104,480
Management of Companies and Enterprises 310 $43.84 $91,190
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 170 $40.14 $83,500
Coal Mining 820 $34.17 $71,070

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all States with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Wyoming 150 $39.27 $81,680 0.055%
West Virginia 310 $34.98 $72,760 0.043%
Nevada 420 $34.75 $72,280 0.033%
Montana 130 $32.06 $66,680 0.030%
Arizona 510 $30.90 $64,280 0.019%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Oklahoma 190 $52.25 $108,690 0.012%
Colorado 410 $46.86 $97,470 0.018%
Texas (8) $46.47 $96,650 (8)
Virginia (8) $46.23 $96,150 (8)
California 410 $41.91 $87,170 0.003%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all Metropolitan areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Charleston, WV 150 $35.25 $73,310 0.104%
Tucson, AZ 320 $30.92 $64,310 0.084%
Farmington, NM 40 $35.40 $73,640 0.079%
Tuscaloosa, AL 40 $39.81 $82,790 0.044%
Pittsburgh, PA 500 $28.37 $59,010 0.044%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Oklahoma City, OK (8) $55.19 $114,790 (8)
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL Metropolitan Division (8) $51.86 $107,860 (8)
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 940 $51.63 $107,380 0.038%
Denver-Aurora, CO 290 $47.86 $99,550 0.024%
Tulsa, OK 50 $46.78 $97,300 0.012%

About May 2007 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files (XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2007 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2007 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2007 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2007 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2007 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2008