Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters in the U.S. is $61,390 ($29.51 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $61,390
- Mean annual wage
- $66,640
- Median hourly wage
- $29.51
- Employment
- 5,100
5,100 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,480 | $19.46 |
| 25th percentile | $49,630 | $23.86 |
| Median (50th) | $61,390 | $29.51 |
| 75th percentile | $80,370 | $38.64 |
| 90th percentile | $99,360 | $47.77 |
Highest-paying states for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $100,520 | — |
| New York | $96,940 | — |
| North Carolina | $85,630 | 160 |
| Wyoming | $85,070 | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $84,400 | — |
| California | $80,370 | 220 |
| New Mexico | $78,960 | 80 |
| Tennessee | $74,190 | 70 |
| Florida | $69,780 | 90 |
| Colorado | $69,640 | 140 |
Lowest-paying states
- Iowa: $39,520 median annual wage
- Louisiana: $39,900 median annual wage
- Ohio: $46,630 median annual wage
- Mississippi: $47,060 median annual wage
- West Virginia: $49,630 median annual wage
About this occupation
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.
Typical tasks
- Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
- Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
- Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
- Insert, pack, and pour explosives, such as dynamite, ammonium nitrate, black powder, or slurries into blast holes; then shovel drill cuttings, admit water into boreholes, and tamp material to compact charges.
- Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
- Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 9.6% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 40.2% |
| Some college, no degree | 34.1% |
| Associate's degree | 7.9% |
| Bachelor's degree | 6.0% |
| Master's degree | 2.2% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$63,800
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance$49,400
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$57,020
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.