Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters Salary, Job Outlook & Education | Career Matchup
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Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

47-5032

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.

Median annual wage

$61,390

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5032

Projected change

0%

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 47-5032

Annual openings

0.4k

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 47-5032

National employment

5,100

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5032

Read the data in context

Career Matchup does not declare an overall winner. National estimates can hide local variation, and O*NET relative values describe the named construct rather than whether a career is better.

01 · Compensation

Pay and employment

National estimates are shown with the reference year from the BLS source row. Missing source values stay visible as Not available.

Median annual wage

$61,390

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5032

Mean annual wage

$66,640

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5032

Hourly median wage

$29.51

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5032

Hourly mean wage

$32.04

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5032

10th percentile annual wage

$40,480

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5032

25th percentile annual wage

$49,630

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5032

75th percentile annual wage

$80,370

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5032

90th percentile annual wage

$99,360

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5032

National employment

5,100

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5032

02 · Outlook

Employment outlook

BLS projections describe the national occupation outlook across the published projection period.

Projected employment change

0%

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 47-5032

Average annual openings

0.4k

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 47-5032

Projection period: 2025-2035

Annual openings are reported in thousands in the BLS source.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 47-5032

03 · Preparation

Education and training

These are the typical preparation categories reported for the occupation, not a guarantee of any individual employer's requirements.

Typical entry-level education

High school diploma or equivalent

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 47-5032

Related work experience

Less than 5 years

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 47-5032

On-the-job training

Long-term on-the-job training

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 47-5032

04 · Work context

What the work is like

O*NET context measures use their source scale identifier and a documented relative bar. A higher bar means more of the named construct, not a universal improvement.

Contact with others

4.4 raw · CX scale
85% relative

Relative scale: 85% · raw 4.38 · CX

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Time pressure

4.4 raw · CX scale
84% relative

Relative scale: 84% · raw 4.35 · CX

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Spend time standing

4.3 raw · CX scale
82% relative

Relative scale: 82% · raw 4.27 · CX

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Exposed to contaminants

4.4 raw · CX scale
85% relative

Relative scale: 85% · raw 4.38 · CX

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Exposed to disease or infections

1.2 raw · CX scale
4% relative

Relative scale: 4% · raw 1.17 · CX

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Exposed to hazardous equipment

4.1 raw · CX scale
78% relative

Relative scale: 78% · raw 4.13 · CX

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

05 · Fit signals

Skills and work styles

These measurements describe skills and work-style characteristics associated with the occupation in O*NET.

Monitoring

3.6 raw · LV scale
52% relative

Relative scale: 52% · raw 3.62 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Reading comprehension

3.6 raw · LV scale
52% relative

Relative scale: 52% · raw 3.62 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Critical thinking

3.5 raw · LV scale
50% relative

Relative scale: 50% · raw 3.5 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Active listening

3.4 raw · LV scale
48% relative

Relative scale: 48% · raw 3.38 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Active learning

3.1 raw · LV scale
45% relative

Relative scale: 45% · raw 3.12 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Speaking

3.1 raw · LV scale
45% relative

Relative scale: 45% · raw 3.12 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Learning strategies

2.9 raw · LV scale
41% relative

Relative scale: 41% · raw 2.88 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Mathematics

2.9 raw · LV scale
41% relative

Relative scale: 41% · raw 2.88 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Dependability

2.9 raw · WI scale
99% relative

Relative scale: 99% · raw 2.93 · WI

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Attention to detail

3 raw · WI scale
100% relative

Relative scale: 100% · raw 3 · WI

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Stress tolerance

3 raw · WI scale
100% relative

Relative scale: 100% · raw 3 · WI

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

Cooperation

0.9 raw · WI scale
65% relative

Relative scale: 65% · raw 0.9 · WI

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 47-5032.00

06 · Evidence

Sources and limitations

Every displayed value retains the dataset release, reference period, and occupation code used to publish it.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release May 2025 · Reference 2025

Occupation code 47-5032 · SHA-256 b5855a37f3e03e779f6fbf173d3bbc94aeeff33426aef32fa95ce6d025bab1af

Employment Projections

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release 2025-2035 · Reference 2025-2035

Occupation code 47-5032 · SHA-256 a7d060f0576f7d4f5b829b9a0bb4a6c11a12766d159ebb0e07aab5bd2e7583c5

O*NET Database

Source-backed

O*NET Resource Center

Release 31.0 · Reference August 2026

Occupation code 47-5032.00 · SHA-256 c63ad00a8e45f3d3ef8e1529fcf8864d2279f2dfcb98737436818f5664781b04

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Verified career

Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas

47-5013

Operate equipment to increase oil flow from producing wells or to remove stuck pipe, casing, tools, or other obstructions from drilling wells. Includes fishing-tool technicians.

Median pay

$58,160

Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5013

Growth

1.1%

Source: Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 47-5013

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47-5011

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Median pay

$58,620

Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5011

Growth

1.6%

Source: Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 47-5011

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Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

47-5012

Set up or operate a variety of drills to remove underground oil and gas, or remove core samples for testing during oil and gas exploration.

Median pay

$67,890

Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5012

Growth

0.8%

Source: Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 47-5012

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Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining

47-5022

Operate or tend machinery at surface mining site, equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets to excavate and load loose materials.

Median pay

$57,430

Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 47-5022

Growth

1%

Source: Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 47-5022

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Data sourcesData availabilityAboutFree guideContactPrivacyTermsData: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET® Database.