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The national median salary for Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters is $61,381 per year ($29.51/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $49,629 and $80,371 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $99,362 per year. There are approximately 5,100 explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Place and detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials. May perform specialized handling, storage, and accounting procedures.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-0.9%
Little or no change
Annual openings
500
per year, on avg
Workforce today
6K
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
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
1K
$59,680
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only)
NAICS 4240A2
580
$67,780
Other Specialty Trade Contractors
NAICS 238900
440
$79,730
Support Activities for Mining
NAICS 213100
400
$57,730
Metal Ore Mining
NAICS 212200
300
$61,390
Wage range across top 5 industries: $57,730 to $79,730 (38% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$19.46
$40,477
P25
$23.86
$49,629
P50MEDIAN
$29.51
$61,381
P75
$38.64
$80,371
P90
$47.77
$99,362
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters salary?
The national median salary for Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters is $61,381 per year ($29.51/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $49,629 and $80,371 annually.
How much do top-earning explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters make?
The 90th percentile salary for Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters is $99,362 per year ($47.77/hr). The 75th percentile is $80,371 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters?
Entry-level Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters (10th percentile) earn approximately $40,477 per year ($19.46/hr). The 25th percentile is $49,629 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.