Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
47-5081 Helpers--Extraction Workers
Help extraction craft workers, such as earth drillers, blasters and explosives workers, derrick operators, and mining machine operators, by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include supplying equipment or cleaning work area. Apprentice workers are classified with the appropriate skilled construction trade occupation (47-2011 through 47-2231).
National estimates for Helpers--Extraction Workers
Industry profile for Helpers--Extraction Workers
Geographic profile for Helpers--Extraction Workers
National estimates for Helpers--Extraction Workers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Helpers--Extraction Workers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 5,980 |
6.2 % |
$ 19.65 |
$ 40,860 |
1.2 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Helpers--Extraction Workers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 14.14 |
$ 16.64 |
$ 18.15 |
$ 22.47 |
$ 25.38 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 29,400 |
$ 34,600 |
$ 37,760 |
$ 46,740 |
$ 52,790 |
Industry profile for Helpers--Extraction Workers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Helpers--Extraction Workers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Helpers--Extraction Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Helpers--Extraction Workers:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Helpers--Extraction Workers:
Top paying industries for Helpers--Extraction Workers:
Geographic profile for Helpers--Extraction Workers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Helpers--Extraction Workers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Helpers--Extraction Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Helpers--Extraction Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Texas |
1,650 |
0.14 |
3.18 |
$ 17.90 |
$ 37,220 |
| Nevada |
400 |
0.31 |
7.36 |
$ 20.26 |
$ 42,140 |
| California |
360 |
0.02 |
0.51 |
$ 23.66 |
$ 49,210 |
| West Virginia |
270 |
0.42 |
9.81 |
$ 21.11 |
$ 43,900 |
| Kentucky |
240 |
0.13 |
3.12 |
$ 20.58 |
$ 42,800 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Helpers--Extraction Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Alaska |
190 |
0.63 |
14.90 |
$ 23.54 |
$ 48,970 |
| West Virginia |
270 |
0.42 |
9.81 |
$ 21.11 |
$ 43,900 |
| Nevada |
400 |
0.31 |
7.36 |
$ 20.26 |
$ 42,140 |
| Idaho |
200 |
0.27 |
6.26 |
$ 23.11 |
$ 48,080 |
| New Mexico |
130 |
0.17 |
3.96 |
$ 16.32 |
$ 33,950 |
Top paying states for Helpers--Extraction Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Alabama |
110 |
0.06 |
1.35 |
$ 24.57 |
$ 51,110 |
| California |
360 |
0.02 |
0.51 |
$ 23.66 |
$ 49,210 |
| Alaska |
190 |
0.63 |
14.90 |
$ 23.54 |
$ 48,970 |
| Louisiana |
100 |
0.06 |
1.32 |
$ 23.24 |
$ 48,340 |
| Idaho |
200 |
0.27 |
6.26 |
$ 23.11 |
$ 48,080 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Helpers--Extraction Workers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Midland, TX |
110 |
1.12 |
26.43 |
$ 19.91 |
$ 41,410 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
100 |
0.01 |
0.27 |
$ 21.08 |
$ 43,840 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV |
100 |
0.11 |
2.56 |
$ 19.39 |
$ 40,340 |
| Corpus Christi, TX |
90 |
0.52 |
12.14 |
$ 15.76 |
$ 32,770 |
| Odessa, TX |
70 |
1.04 |
24.49 |
$ 18.84 |
$ 39,190 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL |
70 |
0.14 |
3.30 |
$ 23.69 |
$ 49,280 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
60 |
0.02 |
0.56 |
$ 21.63 |
$ 44,990 |
| Farmington, NM |
50 |
1.10 |
26.00 |
(8) |
(8) |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX |
40 |
0.16 |
3.78 |
$ 14.97 |
$ 31,140 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
40 |
0.02 |
0.39 |
$ 16.13 |
$ 33,540 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Helpers--Extraction Workers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Midland, TX |
110 |
1.12 |
26.43 |
$ 19.91 |
$ 41,410 |
| Farmington, NM |
50 |
1.10 |
26.00 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Odessa, TX |
70 |
1.04 |
24.49 |
$ 18.84 |
$ 39,190 |
| Corpus Christi, TX |
90 |
0.52 |
12.14 |
$ 15.76 |
$ 32,770 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX |
40 |
0.16 |
3.78 |
$ 14.97 |
$ 31,140 |
| Reno, NV |
40 |
0.16 |
3.67 |
$ 18.76 |
$ 39,010 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL |
70 |
0.14 |
3.30 |
$ 23.69 |
$ 49,280 |
| Provo-Orem, UT |
30 |
0.13 |
2.97 |
$ 20.30 |
$ 42,230 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV |
100 |
0.11 |
2.56 |
$ 19.39 |
$ 40,340 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
60 |
0.02 |
0.56 |
$ 21.63 |
$ 44,990 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Helpers--Extraction Workers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL |
70 |
0.14 |
3.30 |
$ 23.69 |
$ 49,280 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
60 |
0.02 |
0.56 |
$ 21.63 |
$ 44,990 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
100 |
0.01 |
0.27 |
$ 21.08 |
$ 43,840 |
| Provo-Orem, UT |
30 |
0.13 |
2.97 |
$ 20.30 |
$ 42,230 |
| Midland, TX |
110 |
1.12 |
26.43 |
$ 19.91 |
$ 41,410 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV |
100 |
0.11 |
2.56 |
$ 19.39 |
$ 40,340 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 19.11 |
$ 39,750 |
| Odessa, TX |
70 |
1.04 |
24.49 |
$ 18.84 |
$ 39,190 |
| Reno, NV |
40 |
0.16 |
3.67 |
$ 18.76 |
$ 39,010 |
| Greeley, CO |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 18.02 |
$ 37,480 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Helpers--Extraction Workers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Helpers--Extraction Workers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Helpers--Extraction Workers:
About May 2021 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.
(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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
