Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters salarymedian $61,390 · percentiles · top pay · projected pay in 10 years

United States Construction Confidence ★★★★★

Median annual pay
$61,390
25th–75th pct. $49,630–$80,370
Top pay (est.)
$129,200
Top 10% $99,360
Pay in 5 years
$71,200est.
2031
Pay in 10 years
$82,500est.
$71,000–$95,800
Outlook score
46/100
★★☆☆☆ Average
AI replacement risk
23%
Low
Job growth (10 yr)
+0.0%
400 openings / yr

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters salary

The median annual wage for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters is $61,390 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $40,480 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $99,360. The mean annual wage is $66,640.

Median
$61,390
Mean
$66,640
10th percentile
$40,480
Entry level
25th percentile
$49,630
75th percentile
$80,370
90th percentile
$99,360
Top earners
Mean hourly wage
$32.00
4.4× the federal minimum ($7.25)
In Japanese yen
¥9.65M
≈ at 157.25 JPY/USD

The mean hourly wage of $32.00 is 4.4× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →

How does your pay compare with people your age?

Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).

Pay by percentile

Entry level (10th pct.)
$40,480
Early career (25th pct.)
$49,630
Mid career (median)
$61,390
Experienced (75th pct.)
$80,370
Top earners (90th pct.)
$99,360

Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.

How median, percentiles and the pay range are defined →

Projected pay for Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters (3, 5 and 10 years)est.

Today $61,390 → in 3 years $67,100 → in 5 years $71,200 → in 10 years $82,500 (10-year range $71,000–$95,800). The model assumes pay growth of +3.0% per year.

$61,390
Now
2026
$67,100
In 3 yrs
2029
$61,900–$73,000
$71,200
In 5 yrs
2031
$64,100–$79,300
$82,500
In 10 yrs
2036
$71,000–$95,800

What drives the annual growth rate

Base wage growth +3.0%Labor demand -0.2%AI impact +0.2%Total +3.0% / yr

Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →

The same job in Japan

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters
United States
花火師
Japan
Median / average pay$61,390¥5.50M
≈ $34,974
Pay in 10 years (est.)$82,500¥7.06M
Outlook score4653
AI replacement risk23% Low—
Workers5,100—

Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.

Pay and employment figures are national statistics. Projected pay, outlook scores and AI replacement risk are estimates from the Shigoto Zukan model, not guarantees. To request a correction, use the contact form. How to read the data
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35; O*NET 31.0 Database by USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0), modified by Shigoto Zukan. Pay ranges, projections and scores are Shigoto Zukan estimates.