Continuous Mining Machine Operators Salary
Continuous Mining Machine Operators in St. Louis, MO-IL make a median of $48,120 a year, or about $23.14 an hour. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $82K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $50,605 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,218/month, about 37.1% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $48K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About continuous mining machine operators
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What this looks like in St. Louis
Pay for continuous mining machine operators in St. Louis runs about 22% below the U.S. median of $62K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,218/month, which is 37.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for continuous mining machine operatorss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for continuous mining machine operators in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $48K | $52K |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway | $40K | $44K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level continuous mining machine operators (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $48K. Top earners bring in $82K or more, a $44K spread from bottom to top.
Continuous Mining Machine Operators pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Continuous Mining Machine Operators salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $91K | +47% | 420 |
| Nevada | $86K | +38% | 1,110 |
| Wyoming | $85K | +38% | 330 |
| Colorado | $81K | +31% | 290 |
| West Virginia | $78K | +25% | 720 |
| Illinois | $75K | +21% | 230 |
| Indiana | $72K | +16% | 170 |
| Virginia | $63K | +3% | 230 |
| California | $63K | +2% | 940 |
| Florida | $63K | +1% | 230 |
| Idaho | $61K | -1% | 70 |
| Arizona | $61K | -2% | 2,850 |
| Pennsylvania | $61K | -2% | 510 |
| Utah | $59K | -4% | 890 |
| Alabama | $59K | -4% | 340 |
| North Carolina | $59K | -4% | 230 |
| Ohio | $58K | -6% | 260 |
| Michigan | $58K | -7% | 180 |
| Georgia | $57K | -8% | 140 |
| Nebraska | $52K | -16% | 70 |
| Kentucky | $50K | -19% | 390 |
| Texas | $49K | -21% | 390 |
| New Mexico | $49K | -21% | 470 |
| Arkansas | $48K | -23% | 80 |
| Missouri | $47K | -24% | 920 |
| Oklahoma | $47K | -24% | 310 |
| New York | $46K | -25% | 180 |
Showing 1–10 of 27 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track continuous mining machine operators salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a continuous mining machine operator afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $48K, rent takes 37.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for continuous mining machine operators in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new continuous mining machine operators typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,274/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 54% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is continuous mining machine operator a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Local pay runs 22% below the national median — $48K here vs. $62K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for continuous mining machine operators?
St. Louis pays $48K median vs. the U.S. average of $62K — that’s -22%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $51K — below the national median.
How much do continuous mining machine operators make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $48,120 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,900, and experienced continuous mining machine operators can clear $82,320. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $48K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,267/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 37.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a continuous mining machine operators salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median continuous mining machine operators salary is worth about $50,605 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do continuous mining machine operators get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.