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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

53-7031 Dredge Operators

Operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
1,550 11.6 % $24.68 $51,340 3.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $15.47 $18.31 $22.62 $31.53 $37.47
Annual Wage (2) $32,170 $38,090 $47,040 $65,590 $77,940


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 620 0.61 $21.26 $44,230
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 580 0.47 $26.15 $54,400
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 100 0.01 $32.55 $67,700
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 50 0.00 $21.50 $44,720
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 40 0.00 $25.84 $53,740

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 620 0.61 $21.26 $44,230
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 580 0.47 $26.15 $54,400
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 100 0.01 $32.55 $67,700
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 40 0.00 $25.84 $53,740
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 50 0.00 $21.50 $44,720

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 100 0.01 $32.55 $67,700
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 580 0.47 $26.15 $54,400
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 40 (7) $25.84 $53,740
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 50 (7) $21.50 $44,720
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 620 0.61 $21.26 $44,230


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 190 0.10 9.27 $17.01 $35,380
Florida 100 0.01 1.11 $21.87 $45,480
Missouri 100 0.04 3.38 $25.40 $52,840
Minnesota 90 0.03 3.06 $33.90 $70,520
California 90 0.01 0.49 (8) (8)




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 190 0.10 9.27 $17.01 $35,380
Nebraska 40 0.04 3.73 $17.60 $36,600
Missouri 100 0.04 3.38 $25.40 $52,840
Minnesota 90 0.03 3.06 $33.90 $70,520
New Jersey 70 0.02 1.60 $30.78 $64,010




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Minnesota 90 0.03 3.06 $33.90 $70,520
Georgia (8) (8) (8) $33.83 $70,370
Massachusetts 40 0.01 1.10 $32.89 $68,420
New Jersey 70 0.02 1.60 $30.78 $64,010
Missouri 100 0.04 3.38 $25.40 $52,840





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 60 0.01 0.54 (8) (8)
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 40 0.07 6.36 $19.72 $41,020
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 30 0.01 1.30 (8) (8)
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 30 0.01 1.11 $28.58 $59,440




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 40 0.07 6.36 $19.72 $41,020
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 30 0.01 1.11 $28.58 $59,440
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 30 0.01 1.30 (8) (8)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 60 0.01 0.54 (8) (8)




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
St. Louis, MO-IL (8) (8) (8) $29.10 $60,520
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 30 0.01 1.11 $28.58 $59,440
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (8) (8) (8) $22.68 $47,180
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (8) (8) (8) $22.22 $46,230
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 40 0.07 6.36 $19.72 $41,020
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (8) (8) (8) $17.60 $36,620


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020