Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

47-5031 Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

Place and detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials. May perform specialized handling, storage, and accounting procedures. Include seismograph shooters. Exclude "Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas" (47-5021) who may also work with explosives.

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)
4,850 6.2 % $17.33 $36,050 1.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.52 $13.77 $16.88 $20.31 $23.62
Annual Wage (2) $23,970 $28,650 $35,110 $42,240 $49,140

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Federal government (OES designation) 1,150 $16.99 $35,340 1 8
Other specialty trade contractors 770 $18.52 $38,520 2 3
Support activities for mining 690 $15.35 $31,930 3 10
Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying 530 $16.78 $34,900 4 9
Coal mining 470 $18.18 $37,810 5 5

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Metal ore mining 210 $21.16 $44,010 7 1
Highway, street, and bridge construction 50 $18.90 $39,300 9 2
Other specialty trade contractors 770 $18.52 $38,520 2 3
Chemical merchant wholesalers 270 $18.27 $38,000 6 4
Coal mining 470 $18.18 $37,810 5 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Wyoming 280 $16.32 $33,950 0.117% 201
West Virginia 310 $15.45 $32,130 0.045% 274
Montana 90 $24.18 $50,290 0.023% 76
Kentucky 370 $15.70 $32,660 0.022% 262
Oklahoma 270 $14.79 $30,760 0.019% 306

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
New Mexico 40 $25.37 $52,770 0.005% 76
Montana 90 $24.18 $50,290 0.023% 76
Alaska 30 $22.82 $47,460 0.010% 171
Massachusetts 130 $21.92 $45,590 0.004% 242
New York 90 $21.11 $43,910 0.001% 282

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

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

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Lexington, KY MSA 150 $16.99 $35,350 0.059%
Nashville, TN MSA 40 $20.20 $42,020 0.006%
Kansas City, MO-KS MSA 40 $17.93 $37,300 0.004%
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 90 $19.23 $40,000 0.003%
Baltimore, MD PMSA 40 $18.89 $39,300 0.003%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Chicago, IL PMSA 30 $23.01 $47,860 0.001%
Nashville, TN MSA 40 $20.20 $42,020 0.006%
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ MSA (6) $19.77 $41,130 (6)
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 90 $19.23 $40,000 0.003%
Fort Lauderdale, FL PMSA (6) $18.96 $39,440 (6)

About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan 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) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for 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.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Construction and Extraction Occupations

2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003