Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 17-2151 · National · May 2024 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$101,026
$48.57/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Source: BLS OEWS · Published Apr 2, 2025
Next refresh: May 15, 2026
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The national median salary for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers is $101,026 per year ($48.57/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $81,037 and $129,875 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $163,738 per year. There are approximately 6,770 mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.7%
Little or no change
Annual openings
400
per year, on avg
Workforce today
7K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
2K
$96,460
Metal Ore Mining
NAICS 212200
1K
$102,610
Coal Mining
NAICS 212100
760
$98,500
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
480
$54,740
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
390
$153,720
Wage range across top 5 industries: $54,740 to $153,720 (181% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$30.05
$62,504
P25
$38.96
$81,037
P50MEDIAN
$48.57
$101,026
P75
$62.44
$129,875
P90
$78.72
$163,738
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers salary?
The national median salary for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers is $101,026 per year ($48.57/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $81,037 and $129,875 annually.
How much do top-earning mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers is $163,738 per year ($78.72/hr). The 75th percentile is $129,875 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers?
Entry-level Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers (10th percentile) earn approximately $62,504 per year ($30.05/hr). The 25th percentile is $81,037 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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