SOC 47-5032 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters — Alabama
Alabama · 1 metro areas compared
The median wage here is $59,820 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $61,390.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -0.9%
- Openings per year
- 500
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Alabama.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage here is $59,820 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $61,390. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $57,480 and $68,350. The lowest tenth earn under $51,700, while the highest tenth earn more than $87,560.
The area has 100 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.0 of every thousand jobs. Alabama ranks number 19th out of 32 states by median pay for this occupation. Within the state, Anniston records the highest median at $62,070. Of the 690 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 291st.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $51,700 | −15.8% |
| 25th | $57,480 | −6.4% |
| Median (50th) | $59,820 | −2.6% |
| 75th | $68,350 | +11.3% |
| 90th | $87,560 | +42.6% |
| Mean | $63,980 | +4.2% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Alabama
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anniston | $62,070 | 50 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Alabama run 11.2% below the national average, so the median of $59,820 goes as far as $67,365 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 9.7% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$59,820as reported by BLSLocal price level
88.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$67,365US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $59,820 a year, 2.6% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $51,700 to $87,560 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 100 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 19th of 32 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Anniston, at $62,070.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters in Alabama?
The median annual wage is $59,820, or $28.76 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $61,390, so pay in Alabama is 2.6% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Alabama earns more than $87,560 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $51,700 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Anniston, at $62,070 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 100 jobs in this occupation in Alabama. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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