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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

53-7031 Dredge Operators

Operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.

National estimates for Dredge Operators
Industry profile for Dredge Operators
Geographic profile for Dredge Operators

National estimates for Dredge Operators:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Dredge Operators:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
940 9.7 % $ 25.82 $ 53,700 1.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for Dredge Operators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 18.21 $ 21.00 $ 24.25 $ 29.17 $ 34.89
Annual Wage (2) $ 37,870 $ 43,670 $ 50,440 $ 60,670 $ 72,570

Industry profile for Dredge Operators:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Dredge Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 440 0.44 $ 26.13 $ 54,350
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 200 0.16 $ 24.22 $ 50,380
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 90 0.00 $ 28.83 $ 59,970
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 50 0.00 $ 23.98 $ 49,880

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Dredge Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 440 0.44 $ 26.13 $ 54,350
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 200 0.16 $ 24.22 $ 50,380
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 50 0.00 $ 23.98 $ 49,880
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 90 0.00 $ 28.83 $ 59,970

Top paying industries for Dredge Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) (8) (8) $ 29.24 $ 60,820
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 90 (7) $ 28.83 $ 59,970
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 440 0.44 $ 26.13 $ 54,350
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 200 0.16 $ 24.22 $ 50,380
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 50 (7) $ 23.98 $ 49,880

Geographic profile for Dredge Operators:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Dredge Operators are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Dredge Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of dredge operators by state, May 2023


States with the highest employment level in Dredge Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alabama 200 0.10 16.05 $ 22.42 $ 46,620
Louisiana 110 0.06 9.76 $ 22.55 $ 46,900
New Jersey 90 0.02 3.30 $ 30.68 $ 63,810
Nebraska 60 0.06 10.03 $ 23.83 $ 49,560
Florida 50 0.01 0.91 $ 26.30 $ 54,710


Map of location quotient of dredge operators by state, May 2023


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Dredge Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alabama 200 0.10 16.05 $ 22.42 $ 46,620
Nebraska 60 0.06 10.03 $ 23.83 $ 49,560
Louisiana 110 0.06 9.76 $ 22.55 $ 46,900
Iowa 50 0.03 5.58 $ 28.29 $ 58,850
New Jersey 90 0.02 3.30 $ 30.68 $ 63,810


Map of annual mean wages of dredge operators by state, May 2023


Top paying states for Dredge Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 90 0.02 3.30 $ 30.68 $ 63,810
Iowa 50 0.03 5.58 $ 28.29 $ 58,850
Florida 50 0.01 0.91 $ 26.30 $ 54,710
Nebraska 60 0.06 10.03 $ 23.83 $ 49,560
Ohio 40 0.01 1.03 $ 23.22 $ 48,290



Map of employment of dredge operators by area, May 2023


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Dredge Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 40 0.08 12.27 $ 23.30 $ 48,460


Map of location quotient of dredge operators by area, May 2023


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Dredge Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 40 0.08 12.27 $ 23.30 $ 48,460


Map of annual mean wages of dredge operators by area, May 2023


Top paying metropolitan areas for Dredge Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 40 0.08 12.27 $ 23.30 $ 48,460

About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

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

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. 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 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.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.

Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024