Highest-paying Cities for Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

The top 54 highest paying cities for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters in those cities are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with a annual salary of $79,520, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California is the highest paying city for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters. It is followed by Other Nevada nonmetropolitan area, Nevada (average annual salary $73,330). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters in a specific city, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 54 Highest-paying cities/areas for Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

Rank	City/Area	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California	$79,520	$59,100	40
2	Other Nevada nonmetropolitan area, Nevada	$73,330	$58,870	40
3	Railbelt-Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area, Alaska	$71,570	$62,800	40
4	New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York	$71,370	$47,620	60
5	Nevada nonmetropolitan area, Nevada	$71,060	$40,230	40
6	Northeastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area, Wyoming	$69,320	$55,990	110
7	Baltimore-Towson, Maryland	$68,560	$55,100	320
8	Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisconsin	$68,530	$48,450	n/a
9	Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area, Wyoming	$68,430	$50,920	170
10	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington	$67,040	$61,000	n/a
11	Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Pennsylvania	$66,540	$50,670	50
12	Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area, Michigan	$65,290	$43,480	n/a
13	Honolulu, Hawaii	$63,830	$45,160	n/a
14	Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts	$62,750	$45,180	40
15	Framingham, Massachusetts	$61,220	$49,810	30
16	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia	$60,160	$39,830	100
17	Knoxville, Tennessee	$59,800	$33,960	80
18	Chicago-Joliet-Naperville (IL-IN-WI Area), Illinois	$59,700	$53,420	50
19	Hawaii-Maui-Kauai nonmetropolitan area, Hawaii	$59,450	$41,750	40
20	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, West Virginia	$58,800	$37,030	100
21	Chicago-Joliet-Naperville (IL Metropolitan Division), Illinois	$58,540	$52,320	30
22	Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area, West Virginia	$58,410	$44,820	70
23	Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Florida	$57,440	$52,620	30
24	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California	$57,060	$45,740	40
25	Central Montana nonmetropolitan area, Montana	$56,010	$48,920	430
26	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	$53,710	$37,640	n/a
27	Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area, Iowa	$53,540	$42,560	40
28	Salt Lake City, Utah	$52,190	$37,070	60
29	Appleton, Wisconsin	$52,050	$32,310	n/a
30	Southwestern Virginia nonmetropolitan area, Virginia	$50,790	$40,450	100
31	Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, South Carolina	$49,770	$41,450	30
32	Tucson, Arizona	$49,330	$40,540	n/a
33	West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Kentucky	$48,840	$34,440	60
34	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia	$48,790	$33,370	n/a
35	Jacksonville, Florida	$48,520	$32,150	n/a
36	Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky	$47,440	$35,840	n/a
37	Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area, Virginia	$47,410	$39,210	n/a
38	Southwestern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area, New Mexico	$47,220	$28,230	30
39	Charleston, West Virginia	$46,120	$35,980	90
40	North Central Texas nonmetropolitan area, Texas	$45,680	$40,800	n/a
41	East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Kentucky	$45,480	$28,060	30
42	West Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Kentucky	$44,950	$40,120	190
43	Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area, Indiana	$44,750	$39,920	300
44	San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas	$44,650	$34,240	60
45	Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas	$42,610	$33,230	n/a
46	Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colorado	$41,400	$32,750	40
47	Kansas City, Missouri	$40,040	$34,120	40
48	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tennessee	$39,920	$28,650	180
49	Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Arizona	$39,060	$33,720	60
50	Southeastern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma	$37,800	$33,750	370
51	Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	$36,880	$27,980	250
52	Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama	$34,980	$23,520	50
53	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	$32,600	$26,390	70
54	Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area, Missouri	$22,930	$16,380	100

See also: 💰 Highest paying industries for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters.