SOC 47-5032.00

    Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

    Place and detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials.

    Median pay
    $61,390
    Growth
    0.0%
    Little or no change
    Openings a year
    400
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $40,480
    Median
    $61,390
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $99,360
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    5,100 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters use explosives to demolish buildings or clear earth and rock. This career employs 5,100 people and offers a median annual pay of $61,390.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Place and detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials. May perform specialized handling, storage, and accounting procedures.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    What the work is like

    People in this field spend their days handling, storing, and detonating explosives. Their primary tasks involve clearing away earth, rock, and other materials, or tearing down structures. To do this safely, workers must gather information, evaluate situations to ensure they meet safety standards, and make critical decisions. They also inspect their equipment, monitor their surroundings, and keep detailed records of their work.

    This occupation is highly realistic and hands-on, requiring physical activity and the careful movement of heavy objects. Success in this role requires a strong understanding of public safety, government regulations, mathematics, and mechanical technology. Because of the inherent dangers of working with explosives, workers must possess high attention to detail, cautiousness, stress tolerance, and self-control. They use skills like active listening, operations monitoring, and complex problem solving to manage their daily tasks safely.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires a high school diploma. It is classified as a job zone that requires some preparation, meaning most workers need a moderate amount of on-the-job training or previous work experience to become proficient.

    While a college degree is not standard, related college majors that can lead into this field include ground transportation as well as plumbing and related water supply services. Additionally, some states require workers in this occupation to obtain a license.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for these professionals was $61,390 in 2025. Earnings can vary significantly based on experience and location; the lowest 10% of earners made less than $40,480, while the highest 10% earned more than $99,360.

    Employment in this field is small, with only 5,100 people employed. Between 2025 and 2035, the field is projected to experience 0% job growth, meaning there will be little or no change in the total number of positions. Despite this flat growth, about 400 job openings are still projected to occur each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    98 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    46 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    4 / 100
    Social (S)
    5 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    14 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    53 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    86
    Getting Information
    83
    Documenting/Recording Information
    82
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    82
    Performing General Physical Activities
    81
    Handling and Moving Objects
    80
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    80
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    79
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    79
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    79
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Monitoring
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Operation and Control
    • Operations Monitoring
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Speaking
    • Time Management
    • Active Learning

    Knowledge

    • Public Safety and Security
    • Law and Government
    • Mathematics
    • Engineering and Technology
    • Administration and Management
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Transportation
    • English Language
    • Mechanical
    • Production and Processing

    Abilities

    • Manual Dexterity
    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Information Ordering
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Oral Expression

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Cautiousness
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Self-Control
    • Perseverance
    • Self-Confidence
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Cooperation

    Also called

    Aircraft Ordnance Technician · Ammunition and Explosives Handler · Blast Driller · Blast Hole Driller · Blast Setter · Blast Technician · Blaster · Blasting Clay Miner · Blasting Coal Miner · Blasting Contract Man

    Career pathway

    From your interests to explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters$61,390 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1
      Ivy Tech Community College

      Indianapolis, IN · Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $94,410
      4 yrs after
      $93,701
      Median debt
      Not reported
    2. 2
      Pennsylvania College of Technology

      Williamsport, PA · Ground Transportation · Associate

      1 yr after
      $54,938
      4 yrs after
      $62,389
      Median debt
      $12,000
    3. 3New England Institute of Technology logo
      New England Institute of Technology

      East Greenwich, RI · Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $49,923
      4 yrs after
      $54,989
      Median debt
      $12,000

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Blasting/Blaster
    • Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation
    • Well Drilling/Driller

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    28 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

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    Questions about explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for this career?

    Workers in this field are also known as blast technicians, ammunition and explosives handlers, aircraft ordnance technicians, and blast hole drillers. Other titles include blasting coal miners and blast setters.

    What is the job outlook for explosives workers?

    Employment is projected to show little or no change, with a 0% growth rate from 2025 to 2035. However, about 400 openings are still expected to open up each year.

    What kind of education and training do I need?

    You typically need a high school diploma to enter this field. You will also need some on-the-job training, and some states list a license for this work.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.