Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining Salary
In Columbus, OH, excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings earn $57,870 at the median, or about $27.82 an hour. The range runs from $47K at the entry level to $99K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.47), that's roughly $60,616 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,430/month, about 37.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $58K get you in Columbus?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Columbus’s Regional Price Parity (95.47). 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.
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What this looks like in Columbus
Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining pay in Columbus tracks closely to the national median, $58K locally vs. $57K nationwide, a 1% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,430/month, which is 36% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.47) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings in metros near Columbus, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | $60K | $62K |
| Cleveland | $66K | $70K |
| Toledo | $61K | $67K |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek | $61K | $66K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Columbus, OH
Entry-level excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings (10th percentile) start around $47K. Mid-career wages sit at $58K. Top earners bring in $99K or more, a $52K spread from bottom to top.
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | $90K | +57% | 220 |
| Illinois | $81K | +40% | 1,310 |
| New Jersey | $80K | +40% | 740 |
| Wyoming | $78K | +36% | 420 |
| New Mexico | $76K | +33% | 270 |
| Massachusetts | $76K | +32% | 280 |
| Alaska | $75K | +30% | 140 |
| California | $75K | +30% | 790 |
| Montana | $66K | +15% | 150 |
| Connecticut | $66K | +14% | 280 |
| Washington | $64K | +12% | 640 |
| Nevada | $64K | +11% | 730 |
| Indiana | $62K | +8% | 1,530 |
| West Virginia | $61K | +7% | 650 |
| Oregon | $61K | +7% | 310 |
| Minnesota | $61K | +7% | 520 |
| Colorado | $61K | +6% | 820 |
| Arizona | $60K | +5% | 560 |
| Vermont | $60K | +4% | 250 |
| Rhode Island | $60K | +4% | 50 |
| Virginia | $59K | +4% | 1,150 |
| Iowa | $59K | +3% | 560 |
| Michigan | $59K | +3% | 880 |
| Idaho | $59K | +2% | 190 |
| North Carolina | $59K | +2% | N/A |
| New Hampshire | $59K | +2% | 350 |
| Nebraska | $58K | +2% | 300 |
| Wisconsin | $58K | +1% | 990 |
| Ohio | $58K | +1% | 1,120 |
| New York | $58K | +1% | 1,490 |
| Maryland | $58K | +0% | 730 |
| Missouri | $57K | -1% | 310 |
| Maine | $56K | -3% | 230 |
| Utah | $54K | -5% | 400 |
| Louisiana | $54K | -7% | 280 |
| South Carolina | $53K | -8% | 330 |
| Pennsylvania | $52K | -9% | 1,520 |
| Florida | $52K | -9% | 1,480 |
| Georgia | $50K | -12% | 1,180 |
| Tennessee | $50K | -14% | 550 |
| Texas | $49K | -15% | 5,030 |
| Kansas | $49K | -15% | 270 |
| Mississippi | $48K | -16% | 290 |
| South Dakota | $48K | -16% | 280 |
| Kentucky | $48K | -17% | 790 |
| Alabama | $48K | -17% | 410 |
| Oklahoma | $47K | -18% | 1,440 |
| Delaware | $47K | -18% | 130 |
| Arkansas | $46K | -20% | 250 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Columbus numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining afford a 2BR apartment alone in Columbus?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $58K, rent takes 36% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,430/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings in Columbus?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings typically earn — is $47K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,804/month. At HUD’s $1,430/month FMR, rent would take 51% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining a high-paying job in Columbus?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $58K locally vs. $57K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Columbus compare to the national average for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings?
Columbus pays $58K median vs. the U.S. average of $57K — that’s +1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.47), the purchasing-power equivalent is $61K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings make in Columbus, OH?
The median is $57,870 a year, that works out to about $28 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $46,730, and experienced excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings can clear $98,990. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $58K enough to live in Columbus?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,971/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,430/month, which eats 36% 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 excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining salary go in Columbus?
Columbus has a Regional Price Parity of 95.47 (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 excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining salary is worth about $60,616 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings 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.