Roof Bolters, Mining
Operate machinery to install roof support bolts in underground mine.
- Median annual earnings
- $78,541
- Projected change
- −19.3%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 2.15K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
100% of the workforce
Growing to 1.73K by 2035
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Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
The work
What roof bolters, mining do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Force bolts into holes, using hydraulic mechanisms of self-propelled bolting machines.
- Perform safety checks on equipment before operating.
- Perform tests to determine if methane gas is present.
- Perform ventilation tasks, such as hanging ventilation curtains and tubes.
- Dust rocks after bolting.
- Install various types of bolts, including truss, glue, and resin bolts, traversing entire ceiling spans.
- Drill test holes and test bolts for specified tension, using torque wrenches.
- Position safety jacks to support underground mine roofs until bolts can be installed.
- Rotate chucks to turn bolts and open expansion heads against rock formations.
- Remove drill bits from chucks after drilling holes, and insert bolts into chucks.
- Tighten ends of anchored truss bolts, using turnbuckles.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $63,752
- 25th percentile
- $71,386
- 50th percentile
- $78,541
- 75th percentile
- $81,869
- 90th percentile
- $92,830
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $78,541 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
415 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 100%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Proof Operators11 postings
- 02Tier 2 Representatives1 postings
- 03Trainees1 postings
Top employers
- 01River View Coal3 postings
- 02Blackhawk Mining2 postings
- 03Foresight Energy2 postings
- 04Panther Creek Mining2 postings
- 05Liter's1 postings
- 06Rogers Group1 postings
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