Mine Worker Career Guide,
Salary, Licence & Jobs 2026

Mine workers are counted by BLS under Helpers--Extraction Workers (SOC 47-5081), where the OEWS May 2025 median is $47,730 a year, about $22.95 an hour, from $36,960 at the 10th percentile to $68,020 at the 90th. Helpers who gain equipment qualifications and move toward operator roles, and those working underground or premium shifts, earn toward the upper part of that range, with advancement into miner and operator codes raising pay further.

No degree is required, but you must complete MSHA new-miner training — Part 46 for surface or Part 48 for underground mines — plus site-specific hazard training before starting at a mine. You then support extraction crews by moving materials, tending equipment and assisting ground-support work, learning safety practices on the job. As you train up on drills, loaders and mining machines and earn equipment qualifications, you advance toward operator and miner roles.

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A mine worker is the entry-level laborer who supports extraction crews at surface and underground mines. They move materials and supplies, tend loaders and equipment, set up and clean work areas, and assist extraction and ground-support tasks. It is a hands-on, physically demanding role centered on helping the crew and learning the trade, and it serves as the primary entry point into skilled mining and equipment-operator careers.

Yes. Federal law requires MSHA new-miner training — Part 46 for surface mines or Part 48 for underground mines — plus site-specific hazard training before anyone works at a mine, with annual refresher training thereafter. Even entry-level helpers must complete this training before starting, and some states require an additional state miner card. The training is mandatory and reflects the safety-critical nature of mine work.

It is projected to decline slightly. BLS projects the Helpers--Extraction Workers code to change about -1.7% over 2024–2034, with roughly 700 openings a year in a small occupation. Mines continue to need helpers to support extraction crews and train new workers, but because helpers steadily advance into operator and miner roles, most openings arise from that turnover rather than net growth, and the code itself is small.

As an entry point, yes: mine worker needs no degree, starts you on a crew at a $47,730 median with up to $68,020 for those advancing toward operator roles, and requires only MSHA training. The work is physically demanding and often on remote sites with rotating shifts, and the helper code is projected to decline slightly, but it is designed as a stepping stone — workers build equipment skills and move into higher-paying miner and operator careers.