All About Extraction Workers

Position Description Help extraction craft workers, such as earth drillers, blasters and explosives workers, derrick operators, and mining machine operators, by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include supplying equipment or cleaning work area.

A Day in the Life of an Extraction Worker

• Set up and adjust equipment used to excavate geological materials.
• Drive moving equipment to transport materials and parts to excavation sites.
• Load materials into well holes or into equipment, using hand tools.
• Organize materials to prepare for use.
• Signal workers to start geological material extraction or boring.
• Dig trenches.

Skills Needed to be an Extraction Worker

Extraction Workers state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Types of Extraction Worker Jobs

• Organic Extractions Technician
• Placer Miner
• Rotary Drill Operator Helper
• Pumper Helper
• Boring Machine Operator Helper

Is There Job Demand for Extraction Workers?

In the United States, there were 17,000 jobs for Extraction Worker in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 19.4% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 3,300 new jobs for Extraction Worker by 2026. There will be an estimated 2,600 positions for Extraction Worker per year.

The states with the most job growth for Extraction Worker are Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Carolina. Watch out if you plan on working in Kentucky, Wisconsin, or West Virginia. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

What is the Average Salary of an Extraction Worker

The typical yearly salary for Extraction Workers is somewhere between $24,990 and $52,990.

Extraction Workers who work in Alabama, Massachusetts, or West Virginia, make the highest salaries.

How much do Extraction Workers make in different U.S. states?

State	Annual Mean Salary
Alabama	$55,580
Alaska	$42,570
Arizona	$32,580
Arkansas	$31,560
California	$41,110
Colorado	$36,700
Florida	$32,170
Georgia	$29,250
Idaho	$47,990
Illinois	$44,450
Indiana	$35,460
Iowa	$29,050
Kansas	$39,000
Kentucky	$38,140
Louisiana	$35,840
Maryland	$31,240
Massachusetts	$50,680
Minnesota	$35,850
Missouri	$33,620
Montana	$33,780
Nevada	$41,880
New Hampshire	$37,170
New Jersey	$38,770
New Mexico	$41,770
New York	$43,670
North Carolina	$30,020
North Dakota	$43,640
Ohio	$39,180
Oklahoma	$34,860
Oregon	$37,520
Pennsylvania	$42,240
Tennessee	$35,030
Texas	$35,910
Utah	$29,540
Virginia	$32,900
Washington	$40,070
West Virginia	$45,040
Wyoming	$37,250

What Tools do Extraction Workers Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Extraction Workers:

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office
• Data entry software

How do I Become an Extraction Worker?

Education needed to be an Extraction Worker:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Extraction Workers Are Employed

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

You May Also Be Interested In…

Career changers with experience as an Extraction Worker sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

• Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
• First-Line Supervisors of Logging Workers

References:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• College Factual
• O*NET Online

Image Credit: via

More about our data sources and methodologies.