SOC 47-5022 · Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metro

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining Salary in Lafayette, IN

The average salary for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining in Lafayette, Indiana is $64,530 a year ($31.03 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $65,290: half of the 30 people in this job in the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 5% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($61,487).

$64,530average per year

$31.03 / hourMedian $65,290Take-home ≈ $51,311

  • $48K10th
  • $52K25th
  • $65KMedian
  • $68K75th
  • $88K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

30people in this job
+5%vs U.S. metro average
#2 of 2Indiana metros
93cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining pay range in Lafayette

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $48,080 a year or less, while the top 10% make $87,590 or more. The middle half of excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining in Lafayette earn between $51,740 and $67,980.

  • $48K10th
  • $52K25th
  • $65KMedian
  • $68K75th
  • $88K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$64,530$5,378$31.02
Median$65,290$5,441$31.39
Entry level (25th percentile)$51,740$4,312$24.88
Experienced (75th percentile)$67,980$5,665$32.68

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining salary after taxes in Lafayette

On the average salary of $64,530, a single filer in Lafayette takes home about $51,311 a year, or $4,276 a month and $1,973 every two weeks. Taxes take 20% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). Includes Lafayette's local income tax (1.28%).

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Is Lafayette a good place for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Lafayette area are 7% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 93.4), so the average $64,530 buys what about $69,068 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.3 times the median wage of all jobs in Lafayette ($48,780). A typical home costs $286,179, or 4.4 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $64,530 is worth in another city

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining salary in other Indiana cities

Lafayette ranks 2nd of 2 Indiana metro areas for this job; Indianapolis pays the most ($70,500).

All Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining salaries in Indiana

Highest-paying cities for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining

San Francisco, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($110,990).

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining salary by city

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Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining salary in Lafayette: questions

How much do excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining make an hour in Lafayette?

$31.03 an hour on average, and $31.39 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining salary in Lafayette?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $48,080 a year and the 25th percentile is $51,740, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining take-home pay in Lafayette?

About $51,311 a year ($4,276 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $64,530. Includes Lafayette's local income tax (1.28%).

Do excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining earn more in Lafayette than elsewhere?

The average here is 5% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($61,487).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 47-5022; area Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN (29200). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 9.3%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). Includes Lafayette's local income tax (1.28%).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.48, this job is 1.5 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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