Careers / Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers

Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$106,220

United States, 2025

Employment

6,080

United States, 2025

Typical education

Bachelor's Degree

Job Zone 4

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

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.

O*NET code
17-2151.00
Job zone
4
Experience required
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

Typical tasks

  • 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.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$67,490
10th
$85,280
25th
$106,220
Median
$136,590
75th
$169,990
90th

10th percentile

$67,490

25th percentile

$85,280

75th percentile

$136,590

90th percentile

$169,990

Most important skills

  • Complex Problem Solving4.1
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Speaking4.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Writing4.0
  • Active Listening3.9
  • Systems Evaluation3.8
  • Mathematics3.8
  • Monitoring3.8
  • Systems Analysis3.8
  • Science3.5

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 21 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

21

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Reading Comprehension4.04.8Not selected4.8
Judgment and Decision Making4.04.6Not selected4.6
Complex Problem Solving4.14.4Not selected4.4
Critical Thinking4.04.5Not selected4.5
Mathematics3.84.6Not selected4.6
Writing4.04.3Not selected4.3
Monitoring3.84.5Not selected4.5
Speaking4.04.1Not selected4.1
Systems Evaluation3.84.3Not selected4.3
Active Listening3.94.0Not selected4.0
Systems Analysis3.84.0Not selected4.0
Active Learning3.54.1Not selected4.1
Science3.54.0Not selected4.0
Coordination3.53.8Not selected3.8
Time Management3.43.9Not selected3.9
Operations Analysis3.14.1Not selected4.1
Instructing3.13.5Not selected3.5
Management of Personnel Resources3.03.6Not selected3.6
Learning Strategies3.13.4Not selected3.4
Operations Monitoring3.03.4Not selected3.4
Management of Material Resources3.03.3Not selected3.3

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
San Francisco, CA$173,790302025
Sacramento, CA$166,7701602025
CA$158,1305202025
Los Angeles, CA$144,2301802025
Anchorage, AK$141,080802025
Salt Lake City, UT$131,7701602025
Oklahoma City, OK$131,660702025
OK$131,660902025
Colorado Springs, CO$125,980302025
UT$125,5202302025
AK$124,6303002025
ID$123,6801102025
Portland, OR$119,990502025
WY$119,0102102025
Wheeling, WV$117,670302025
FL$117,500502025
Phoenix, AZ$114,2902502025
IN$113,640602025
IL$107,6902025
Birmingham, AL$107,660402025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.