Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
Also called: Dragline Oiler, Dragline Operator, Heavy Equipment Operator, Loader OperatorOperate or tend machinery at surface mining site, equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets to excavate and load loose materials.
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What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 16 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 1.0% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.7 hires for every 10 job openings in mining and logging, which employs about 66% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.8.7 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $47,770 | $40,170 to $52,350 | 410 |
| Alaska | $74,680 | $62,140 to $93,270 | 140 |
| Arizona | $60,310 | $53,540 to $76,150 | 560 |
| Arkansas | $46,170 | $40,130 to $48,590 | 250 |
| California | $74,500 | $61,240 to $98,690 | 790 |
| Colorado | $61,020 | $56,510 to $79,390 | 820 |
| Connecticut | $65,710 | $60,180 to $79,760 | 280 |
| Delaware | $46,900 | $38,380 to $57,060 | 130 |
| Florida | $51,990 | $45,490 to $60,460 | 1,480 |
| Georgia | $50,290 | $47,880 to $57,690 | 1,180 |
| Idaho | $58,670 | $50,080 to $63,550 | 190 |
| Illinois | $80,600 | $57,720 to $87,580 | 1,310 |
| Indiana | $61,910 | $56,600 to $70,050 | 1,530 |
| Iowa | $59,390 | $48,780 to $61,630 | 560 |
| Kansas | $48,950 | $46,340 to $56,230 | 270 |
| Kentucky | $47,780 | $40,450 to $57,680 | 790 |
| Louisiana | $53,510 | $39,500 to $58,220 | 280 |
| Maine | $55,890 | $49,250 to $64,010 | 230 |
| Maryland | $57,610 | $42,670 to $69,000 | 730 |
| Massachusetts | $76,070 | $62,910 to $80,220 | 280 |
| Michigan | $59,040 | $48,930 to $64,050 | 880 |
| Minnesota | $61,260 | $49,540 to $81,790 | 520 |
| Mississippi | $48,490 | $38,930 to $56,730 | 290 |
| Missouri | $56,760 | $49,660 to $59,370 | 310 |
| Montana | $65,850 | $52,430 to $81,480 | 150 |
| Nebraska | $58,370 | $48,340 to $61,670 | 300 |
| Nevada | $63,810 | $57,960 to $83,030 | 730 |
| New Hampshire | $58,540 | $50,610 to $65,880 | 350 |
| New Jersey | $80,310 | $62,490 to $122,950 | 740 |
| New Mexico | $76,350 | $50,450 to $76,350 | 270 |
| New York | $58,120 | $47,840 to $71,020 | 1,490 |
| North Carolina | $58,620 | $49,360 to $60,460 | not published |
| North Dakota | $90,380 | $59,930 to $120,080 | 220 |
| Ohio | $58,240 | $48,740 to $65,900 | 1,120 |
| Oklahoma | $47,100 | $46,490 to $55,990 | 1,440 |
| Oregon | $61,280 | $56,450 to $70,440 | 310 |
| Pennsylvania | $52,350 | $49,000 to $58,070 | 1,520 |
| Puerto Rico | $35,870 | $31,200 to $47,510 | 130 |
| Rhode Island | $59,590 | $46,120 to $63,300 | 50 |
| South Carolina | $52,580 | $46,260 to $58,980 | 330 |
| South Dakota | $48,250 | $44,810 to $57,280 | 280 |
| Tennessee | $49,500 | $45,880 to $59,130 | 550 |
| Texas | $49,000 | $43,920 to $59,210 | 5,030 |
| Utah | $54,330 | $48,560 to $62,040 | 400 |
| Vermont | $59,790 | $47,900 to $64,660 | 250 |
| Virginia | $59,480 | $48,590 to $66,860 | 1,150 |
| Washington | $64,270 | $59,940 to $77,930 | 640 |
| West Virginia | $61,330 | $58,680 to $65,390 | 650 |
| Wisconsin | $58,280 | $51,380 to $62,540 | 990 |
| Wyoming | $78,230 | $70,010 to $79,870 | 420 |
Nationally: $57,430. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on none of its 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation. | Not published |
| Not much | Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Receive written or oral instructions regarding material movement or excavation. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads. | Not published |
See all 16 tasks
| Not much | Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse. | Not published |
| Not much | Create or maintain inclines or ramps. | Not published |
| Not much | Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth. | Not published |
| Not much | Handle slides, mud, or pit cleanings or maintenance. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure and verify levels of rock or gravel, bases, or other excavated material. | Not published |
| Not much | Adjust dig face angles for varying overburden depths and set lengths. | Not published |
| Not much | Drive machines to work sites. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform manual labor to prepare or finish sites, such as shoveling materials by hand. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct workers engaged in placing blocks or outriggers to prevent capsizing of machines when lifting heavy loads. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct ground workers engaged in activities such as moving stakes or markers, or changing positions of towers. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 16 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 16 tasks fall under 14 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate construction or excavation equipment | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas |
Show all 14 activities
| Build structures | |||
| Maintain vehicles in working condition | |||
| Perform general construction or extraction activities | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Signal others to coordinate work activities |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 1,291 moves out
- 1 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 19%
- 2 Court, Municipal, and License Clerks Very high +3.4% 10%
- 3 Riggers Moderate +3.9% 9%
- 4 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Low +4.6% 8%
- 5 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers Moderate +6.8% 7%
Where people moved in from
of 880 moves in
- 1 Riggers Moderate +3.9% 11%
- 2 Court, Municipal, and License Clerks Very high +3.4% 11%
- 3 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers Moderate +6.8% 7%
- 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 6%
- 5 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Low +4.6% 6%
The resume data uses 2010 occupation codes. This occupation comes from “Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators”, which today also includes “Material Moving Workers, All Other”, so these figures cover it too. Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 23% less than high school
- 71% high school
- 6% postsecondary certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 27 people answered.
1 program: Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (DRAGLINE OPERATOR). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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