Dredge Operators
Operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.
Also called: Dredge Operator · Dredger
Median pay (national)
$48,430
$42,060–$75,050 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
1,030
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+1.2%
~100 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for dredge operators shows a relatively narrow range: the top 10% earn $75,050 versus $42,060 at the bottom 10% — 1.8x. The median of $48,430 leaves roughly 55% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +1.2% from 2024 to 2034 — slower than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 100 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 9 states with released data, New Jersey pays the most for this role (median $70,400, +45% vs the national median), while Nebraska sits lowest at $43,320 — a 63% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Speaking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Move levers to position dredges for excavation, to engage hydraulic pumps, to raise and lower suction booms, and to control rotation of cutterheads.
- Start power winches that draw in or let out cables to change positions of dredges, or pull in and let out cables manually.
- Pump water to clear machinery pipelines.
- Direct or assist workers placing shore anchors and cables, laying additional pipes from dredges to shore, and pumping water from pontoons.
- Start and stop engines to operate equipment.
- Lower anchor poles to verify depths of excavations, using winches, or scan depth gauges to determine depths of excavations.
Tools & technology
- Global positioning system GPS software
- HYPACK DREDGEPACK
- Programmable logic controller PLC software
- Teledyne Odom Hydrographic ODOM eChart
- Trimble HYDROpro
- Web browser software
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Production and Processing
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Physics