The average annual salaries for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters in the state of West Virginia are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters among West Virginia 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 | $40,230 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $42,760 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $46,500 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $50,110 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $58,840 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters in West Virginia in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $58,840. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $46,500. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $40,230.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters from 2012 to 2018.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 6-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $46,500 | -0.22% | -10.28% |
| 2017 | $46,600 | -24.72% | - |
| 2016 | $58,120 | 1.03% | - |
| 2015 | $57,520 | 6.03% | - |
| 2014 | $54,050 | 0.89% | - |
| 2013 | $53,570 | 4.27% | - |
| 2012 | $51,280 | - | - |
Table 3 shows the median annual salary of explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters in some West Virginia cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters in state of West Virginia ranges from $46,120 to $58,800. The highest paying area for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters in West Virginia is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria with a median annual salary of $58,800. The second highest paying city/area in West Virginia State is Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area (mean annual salary $58,410). The lowest paying area is Charleston with a median annual salary of $46,120.
| Cities/Areas | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | |
| Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area | |
| Charleston |