Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
17-2151 Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
Conduct subsurface surveys to identify the characteristics of potential land or mining development sites. May specify the ground support systems, processes, and equipment for safe, economical, and environmentally sound extraction or underground construction activities. May inspect areas for unsafe geological conditions, equipment, and working conditions. May design, implement, and coordinate mine safety programs. Excludes "Petroleum Engineers" (17-2171).
National estimates for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
Industry profile for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
Geographic profile for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
National estimates for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 6,270 |
6.0 % |
$ 48.15 |
$ 100,140 |
1.7 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 27.42 |
$ 34.61 |
$ 45.10 |
$ 58.50 |
$ 75.13 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 57,040 |
$ 71,990 |
$ 93,800 |
$ 121,670 |
$ 156,270 |
Industry profile for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers: Top
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
2,250 |
0.15 |
$ 45.72 |
$ 95,090 |
| Metal Ore Mining |
1,200 |
2.97 |
$ 44.28 |
$ 92,100 |
| Coal Mining |
560 |
1.29 |
$ 43.73 |
$ 90,950 |
| Support Activities for Mining |
400 |
0.15 |
$ 41.66 |
$ 86,650 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
340 |
0.02 |
$ 61.26 |
$ 127,420 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
Top paying industries for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
Geographic profile for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers: Top
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nevada |
700 |
0.56 |
12.35 |
$ 46.66 |
$ 97,040 |
| Texas |
570 |
0.05 |
1.05 |
$ 51.16 |
$ 106,400 |
| California |
570 |
0.03 |
0.77 |
$ 61.27 |
$ 127,450 |
| Arizona |
520 |
0.18 |
4.10 |
$ 42.73 |
$ 88,880 |
| Colorado |
300 |
0.12 |
2.58 |
$ 52.70 |
$ 109,610 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nevada |
700 |
0.56 |
12.35 |
$ 46.66 |
$ 97,040 |
| Wyoming |
130 |
0.48 |
10.75 |
$ 45.68 |
$ 95,020 |
| Alaska |
140 |
0.47 |
10.41 |
$ 49.69 |
$ 103,350 |
| Montana |
190 |
0.41 |
9.12 |
$ 53.72 |
$ 111,750 |
| New Mexico |
230 |
0.30 |
6.56 |
$ 57.62 |
$ 119,840 |
Top paying states for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Oklahoma |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 67.80 |
$ 141,030 |
| California |
570 |
0.03 |
0.77 |
$ 61.27 |
$ 127,450 |
| New Mexico |
230 |
0.30 |
6.56 |
$ 57.62 |
$ 119,840 |
| Florida |
150 |
0.02 |
0.40 |
$ 56.80 |
$ 118,140 |
| Montana |
190 |
0.41 |
9.12 |
$ 53.72 |
$ 111,750 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
320 |
0.11 |
2.38 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
220 |
0.10 |
2.30 |
$ 39.97 |
$ 83,130 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
190 |
0.16 |
3.65 |
$ 44.37 |
$ 92,300 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
180 |
0.12 |
2.76 |
$ 53.62 |
$ 111,530 |
| Salt Lake City, UT |
130 |
0.18 |
4.00 |
$ 41.33 |
$ 85,970 |
| Tucson, AZ |
90 |
0.24 |
5.32 |
$ 43.32 |
$ 90,100 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
80 |
0.02 |
0.39 |
$ 44.92 |
$ 93,440 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL |
80 |
0.15 |
3.34 |
$ 45.43 |
$ 94,490 |
| Pittsburgh, PA |
70 |
0.07 |
1.45 |
$ 47.13 |
$ 98,020 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL |
60 |
0.04 |
0.94 |
$ 61.49 |
$ 127,900 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Duluth, MN-WI |
50 |
0.43 |
9.58 |
$ 43.93 |
$ 91,370 |
| Midland, TX |
40 |
0.37 |
8.30 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Tucson, AZ |
90 |
0.24 |
5.32 |
$ 43.32 |
$ 90,100 |
| Salt Lake City, UT |
130 |
0.18 |
4.00 |
$ 41.33 |
$ 85,970 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
190 |
0.16 |
3.65 |
$ 44.37 |
$ 92,300 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL |
80 |
0.15 |
3.34 |
$ 45.43 |
$ 94,490 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
180 |
0.12 |
2.76 |
$ 53.62 |
$ 111,530 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
320 |
0.11 |
2.38 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
220 |
0.10 |
2.30 |
$ 39.97 |
$ 83,130 |
| Pittsburgh, PA |
70 |
0.07 |
1.45 |
$ 47.13 |
$ 98,020 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL |
60 |
0.04 |
0.94 |
$ 61.49 |
$ 127,900 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
180 |
0.12 |
2.76 |
$ 53.62 |
$ 111,530 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 53.07 |
$ 110,390 |
| Reno, NV |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 51.63 |
$ 107,380 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
40 |
0.02 |
0.52 |
$ 48.75 |
$ 101,400 |
| Billings, MT |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 47.40 |
$ 98,590 |
| Pittsburgh, PA |
70 |
0.07 |
1.45 |
$ 47.13 |
$ 98,020 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL |
80 |
0.15 |
3.34 |
$ 45.43 |
$ 94,490 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
80 |
0.02 |
0.39 |
$ 44.92 |
$ 93,440 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
190 |
0.16 |
3.65 |
$ 44.37 |
$ 92,300 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers:
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.
(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
United States Department of Labor
