The average annual salaries for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators in the state of Montana are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of excavating and loading machine and dragline operators amongst Montana metropolitan areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].
| Percentile bracket | Average annual salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $27,130 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $42,250 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $49,860 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $57,780 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $62,500 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators in Montana in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $62,500. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $49,860. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $27,130.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of excavating and loading machine and dragline operators from 2012 to 2018.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 6-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $49,860 | -1.04% | 14.62% |
| 2017 | $50,380 | 20.52% | - |
| 2016 | $40,040 | 1.90% | - |
| 2015 | $39,280 | -0.48% | - |
| 2014 | $39,470 | -10.41% | - |
| 2013 | $43,580 | 2.32% | - |
| 2012 | $42,570 | - | - |
Table 3 shows the median annual salary of excavating and loading machine and dragline operators in some Montana cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of excavating and loading machine and dragline operators in state of Montana ranges from $34,990 to $67,540. The highest paying area for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators in Montana is Central Montana nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $67,540. The second highest paying city/area in Montana State is East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area (mean annual salary $52,860). The lowest paying area is Eastern Montana nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $34,990.