Career
Roof bolters, mining
Secure mine roofs so miners stay safe.
$78,540
Median pay
-18.9%
Job growth, 2025–35
100
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Drill bolt holes into roofs at specified distances from ribs or adjacent bolts.
- Pull down loose rock that cannot be supported.
- Position bolting machines, and insert drill bits into chucks.
- Perform safety checks on equipment before operating.
- Perform tests to determine if methane gas is present.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Drill bolt holes into roofs at specified distances from ribs or adjacent bolts.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $78,540 a year and 100 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- NO MATCHCIP 99.9999
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Continuous Mining Machine Operators$61,810 · +3.2%
- Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas$60,190 · +3.6%
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers$62,780 · +3.1%
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers$65,380 · -5.6%
- Riggers$62,640 · +3.9%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.