How much do blasters make in 2026?
Blasters are counted in the BLS explosives workers, ordnance handling experts and blasters series: OEWS May 2025 gives SOC 47-5032 a national median of $61,390 a year ($29.51 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $40,480 and the top 10% at $99,360 across only 5,100 workers. This is one of the smallest occupational codes on this site, and the small population is itself part of the pay story. Becoming a licensed blaster requires federal clearance to possess and handle explosives, a state blaster licence in most states with examination and documented experience requirements, and years of supervised work loading shots before taking responsibility for one. The barrier to entry is genuine, and so is the liability: a blaster signs off on shot design, timing, stemming and clearance, and the consequences of a mistake include flyrock, damage claims and criminal exposure. That combination is what supports pay well above general extraction work. Employment is projected to decline 0.9% through 2034 with roughly 500 openings a year, which is a tiny number of positions. Blasters whose experience covers both construction and quarry work rather than mining alone are considerably better placed, since construction blasting follows infrastructure spending rather than commodity cycles. → Full blaster career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $61,390 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Blasters earn a national median $61,390/yr ($29.51/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-5032); the P10 to P90 range is $40,480 to $99,360.
- Entry requires federal clearance to handle explosives plus a state blaster licence with examination and documented supervised experience, and that barrier is a large part of why pay sits above general extraction work.
- The blaster personally signs off shot design, timing and clearance, and carries liability for flyrock, damage and regulatory consequences — the pay reflects responsibility rather than physical difficulty.
- BLS projects a 0.9% decline with roughly 500 openings a year across the whole country, so this is a very small occupation where individual mobility matters.
US Blaster Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do blasters earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-5032; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-5032, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a blaster earn at each career stage?
Blasting pay follows licence status and who signs the shot. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-5032.
By State
Which states pay blasters the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the national blaster median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Blaster licences are issued state by state with their own examination and experience requirements and limited reciprocity, so mobility is constrained regardless of pay differences.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($70,600), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay blasters the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. Construction blasting follows infrastructure work near metros while quarry and mine blasting is rural, so the occupation splits geographically by sector.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a blaster’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does blaster pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Blasters sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify blaster wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a blaster actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Blaster Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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