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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

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)
1,750 12.5 % $ 25.86 $ 53,790 3.0 %

Percentile wage estimates for Dredge Operators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 16.07 $ 18.90 $ 23.66 $ 32.64 $ 39.02
Annual Wage (2) $ 33,420 $ 39,310 $ 49,210 $ 67,900 $ 81,160


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)
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 770 0.64 $ 26.38 $ 54,870
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 550 0.56 $ 22.55 $ 46,890
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 110 0.02 $ 32.94 $ 68,510
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 50 0.00 $ 21.56 $ 44,840
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 40 0.00 $ 27.45 $ 57,090

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Dredge Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 770 0.64 $ 26.38 $ 54,870
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 550 0.56 $ 22.55 $ 46,890
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 110 0.02 $ 32.94 $ 68,510
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 50 0.00 $ 21.56 $ 44,840
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 40 0.00 $ 27.45 $ 57,090

Top paying industries for Dredge Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (8) (8) $ 39.62 $ 82,400
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 110 0.02 $ 32.94 $ 68,510
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 40 (7) $ 27.45 $ 57,090
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 770 0.64 $ 26.38 $ 54,870
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 550 0.56 $ 22.55 $ 46,890


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.





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)
Louisiana 240 0.13 10.47 $ 18.05 $ 37,540
Florida 130 0.02 1.26 $ 23.16 $ 48,180
Minnesota 100 0.04 2.80 $ 34.88 $ 72,550
New Jersey 80 0.02 1.59 $ 32.25 $ 67,080
Ohio 60 0.01 0.86 $ 21.77 $ 45,290




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)
Louisiana 240 0.13 10.47 $ 18.05 $ 37,540
Nebraska 50 0.06 4.49 $ 19.86 $ 41,310
Minnesota 100 0.04 2.80 $ 34.88 $ 72,550
New Jersey 80 0.02 1.59 $ 32.25 $ 67,080
Alabama 30 0.02 1.31 $ 20.09 $ 41,790




Top paying states for Dredge Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Minnesota 100 0.04 2.80 $ 34.88 $ 72,550
Georgia (8) (8) (8) $ 33.85 $ 70,400
New Jersey 80 0.02 1.59 $ 32.25 $ 67,080
Massachusetts (8) (8) (8) $ 31.51 $ 65,550
California (8) (8) (8) $ 28.40 $ 59,080





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 York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 60 0.01 0.52 (8) (8)
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 30 0.06 5.17 $ 20.82 $ 43,300




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 30 0.06 5.17 $ 20.82 $ 43,300
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 60 0.01 0.52 (8) (8)




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)
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH (8) (8) (8) $ 31.51 $ 65,550
St. Louis, MO-IL (8) (8) (8) $ 29.20 $ 60,740
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (8) (8) (8) $ 23.47 $ 48,820
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (8) (8) (8) $ 23.17 $ 48,190
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 30 0.06 5.17 $ 20.82 $ 43,300
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (8) (8) (8) $ 19.22 $ 39,980


About May 2020 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 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021