SOC 47-5043.00

    Roof Bolters, Mining

    Operate machinery to install roof support bolts in underground mine.

    Median pay
    $78,540
    Growth
    -18.9%
    Decline
    Openings a year
    100
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

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    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $63,750
    Median
    $78,540
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $92,830
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    2,160 people work in this occupation.

    What roof bolters, mining do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Operate machinery to install roof support bolts in underground mine.

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

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    24 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    0 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    0 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    39 / 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

    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    88
    Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
    86
    Controlling Machines and Processes
    85
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    84
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    81
    Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
    81
    Handling and Moving Objects
    76
    Getting Information
    76
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    73
    Training and Teaching Others
    70
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Operation and Control
    • Critical Thinking
    • Monitoring
    • Operations Monitoring
    • Troubleshooting
    • Active Listening
    • Equipment Maintenance
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Coordination
    • Judgment and Decision Making

    Knowledge

    • Production and Processing
    • Education and Training
    • Mechanical
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Administration and Management
    • Law and Government
    • English Language
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Transportation

    Abilities

    • Control Precision
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Extent Flexibility
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Depth Perception
    • Multilimb Coordination
    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Reaction Time
    • Information Ordering

    Work styles

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

    Also called

    Bolt Machine Operator · Bolt Man · Bolter · Bolting Inspector · Bolting Machine Operator · Miner · Place Change Roof Bolter · Roof Bolter · Roof Bolter Operator · Roof Bolting Coal Miner

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What roof bolters, mining may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Licenses by state

    10 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 9, 2026.

    Your plan

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    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

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    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 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.