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Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters Salary

in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

In Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters earn $27,400 at the median, or about $13.17 an hour. The range runs from $27K at the entry level to $69K for experienced workers.

$27K
Median annual
$13.17/hr
Hourly rate
$27K
Entry level (10th %)
$69K
Senior level (90th %)

So what does $27K get you in Cincinnati?

Estimated take-home pay$2,001/mo
Rent (2BR median)-$1,111/mo
Rent as % of take-home55.5% ⚠ above 30% guideline
Groceries-$374/mo
Utilities-$187/mo
Transportation-$328/mo
Healthcare *-$218/mo
Left over-$217/mo

Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Cincinnati’s Regional Price Parity (95.4). 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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About explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters

Education: High school diploma or equivalent
U.S. employed: 5,100
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN employed: 60
Category: Construction & Trades

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What this looks like in Cincinnati

Pay for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters in Cincinnati runs about 55% below the U.S. median of $61K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,111/month, which is 55.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.4) 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 explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasterss.

Compared to nearby metros

Median pay for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters in metros near Cincinnati, adjusted for local cost of living.

MetroMedian payCOL-adjusted
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton$98K,
Louisville/Jefferson County$84K,

COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.

Compensation breakdown

Annual earnings by percentile, Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

Bar chart showing Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters salary percentiles in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN: 10th percentile $27,400, 25th percentile $27,400, median $27,400, 75th percentile $46,630, 90th percentile $68,710. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.10th$27K25th$27KMedian$27K75th$47K90th$69K
Bar chart showing Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters salary percentiles in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN: 10th percentile $27,400, 25th percentile $27,400, median $27,400, 75th percentile $46,630, 90th percentile $68,710. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Entry-level explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters (10th percentile) start around $27K. Mid-career wages sit at $27K. Top earners bring in $69K or more, a $41K spread from bottom to top.

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Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters pay across states

Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure

View Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters salary in all states
StateMedian salaryvs. nationalEmployment
New Jersey$101K+64%N/A
New York$97K+58%N/A
North Carolina$86K+39%160
Wyoming$85K+39%60
Pennsylvania$84K+37%N/A
California$80K+31%220
New Mexico$79K+29%80
Tennessee$74K+21%70
Florida$70K+14%90
Colorado$70K+13%140
Utah$68K+11%50
Hawaii$65K+5%110
Missouri$64K+4%150
Virginia$64K+4%80
Georgia$61K+0%70
Illinois$61K-1%110
Nevada$61K-1%260
Idaho$60K-2%N/A
Alabama$60K-3%100
Maryland$60K-3%N/A
Indiana$59K-4%330
South Dakota$57K-8%N/A
Texas$57K-8%460
Oklahoma$55K-10%330
Arkansas$53K-13%90
Wisconsin$52K-15%60
Kentucky$50K-18%380
West Virginia$50K-19%50
Mississippi$47K-23%40
Ohio$47K-24%120
Louisiana$40K-35%130
Iowa$40K-36%90
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Showing 1–10 of 32 states

BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small

Track explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters salary changes

BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Cincinnati numbers change.

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Frequently asked questions

Can a explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blaster afford a 2BR apartment alone in Cincinnati?

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $27K, rent takes 55.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,111/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

What’s the entry-level salary for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters in Cincinnati?

The 10th-percentile wage — what new explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters typically earn — is $27K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,644/month. At HUD’s $1,111/month FMR, rent would take 68% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Is explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blaster a high-paying job in Cincinnati?

Local pay runs 55% below the national median — $27K here vs. $61K nationally.

How does Cincinnati compare to the national average for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters?

Cincinnati pays $27K median vs. the U.S. average of $61K — that’s -55%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.4), the purchasing-power equivalent is $29K — below the national median.

How much do explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters make in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN?

The median is $27,400 a year, that works out to about $13 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $27,400, and experienced explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters can clear $68,710. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

Is $27K enough to live in Cincinnati?

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,001/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,111/month, which eats 55.5% 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 explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters salary go in Cincinnati?

Cincinnati has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters salary is worth about $28,721 in national-average purchasing power.

Where do explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters 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.

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