The median annual wage of mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers, was $82,870 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $48,950, and the top 10 percent earned more than $129,700.
Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of these engineers in May 2010 were as follows:
| Oil and gas extraction | $98,430 |
| Architectural, engineering, and related services | 83,090 |
| Metal ore mining | 81,790 |
| Coal mining | 78,170 |
| Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying | 75,750 |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition