Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers: Career Overview
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.
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What Tasks Do Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers Do?
Typical responsibilities of mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers span:
- Prepare technical reports for use by mining, engineering, and management personnel.
- Inspect mining areas for unsafe structures, equipment, and working conditions.
- Select or develop mineral location, extraction, and production methods, based on factors such as safety, cost, and deposit characteristics.
- Select locations and plan underground or surface mining operations, specifying processes, labor usage, and equipment that will result in safe, economical, and environmentally sound extraction of minerals and ores.
- Prepare schedules, reports, and estimates of the costs involved in developing and operating mines.
- Monitor mine production rates to assess operational effectiveness.
- Supervise, train, and evaluate technicians, technologists, survey personnel, engineers, scientists or other mine personnel.
- Examine maps, deposits, drilling locations, or mines to determine the location, size, accessibility, contents, value, and potential profitability of mineral, oil, and gas deposits.
What Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers Need to Know
Successful mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Other Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Coal Mine Inspector
- Engineer
- Exploration Engineer
- Field Engineer
- Geological Engineer
- Geophysical Engineer
- Geotechnical Engineer
- Geotechnical Project Engineer
How Many Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers Are There?
There are roughly 244,231 mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +6.2% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $138,303 |
| Hourly median | $66.49 |
| 10th percentile | $87,612 |
| 25th percentile | $112,958 |
| 75th percentile | $163,648 |
| 90th percentile | $188,994 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| California | $142,520 |
| Michigan | $125,600 |
| Florida | $116,430 |
| New Mexico | $114,930 |
| Wyoming | $113,870 |
| Nevada | $113,140 |
| Utah | $110,960 |
| Indiana | $110,590 |
| Alaska | $109,350 |
| South Dakota | $105,170 |
| Idaho | $104,220 |
| Oklahoma | $103,510 |
| Kentucky | $102,910 |
| Arizona | $102,780 |
| Alabama | $101,480 |
| Texas | $101,190 |
| Montana | $99,830 |
| Tennessee | $98,980 |
| Virginia | $98,690 |
| Wisconsin | $97,610 |
| Minnesota | $94,190 |
| Maryland | $93,360 |
| Ohio | $91,500 |
| Pennsylvania | $89,300 |
| Oregon | $86,140 |
| West Virginia | $84,000 |
| New York | $79,990 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Compensation for mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $122,338 | 30.4% | 7.18 |
| Southwest | $104,897 | 18.5% | 4.22 |
| Plains States | $97,850 | 1.6% | 0.83 |
| Middle Atlantic | $93,360 | 0.9% | 0.46 |
| Southeast | $92,457 | 13.1% | 7.16 |
| Rocky Mountains | $49,546 | 23.3% | 5.88 |
| Great Lakes | $46,470 | 12.3% | 1.06 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $163,490 | 50 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | CA | $158,760 | 200 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | CA | $142,520 | 340 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | UT | $115,270 | 170 |
| Richmond, VA | VA | $111,790 | 40 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | IN | $110,590 | |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | AZ | $110,540 | 230 |
| Tucson, AZ | AZ | $107,330 | 150 |
Which Industries Hire Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
Most mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3,060 | $93,340 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 2,680 | $101,260 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 370 | $127,990 |
| Construction | 50 | $83,040 |
Below are examples of industries where mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers work:
Tech Stack
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Bentley MicroStation (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How to Become Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
Entry-level mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Geothermal Production Managers (Primary-Short)
- Construction Managers (Supplemental)
- Chemical Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Civil Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Water/Wastewater Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Environmental Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Industrial Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Manufacturing Engineers (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Future mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers commonly pursue programs in:
Engineering
3 programs across 3 majors
About the Data
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 17-2151.00 (Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers).
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