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Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers pay in California and Montana
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers is $158,130 per year in California. It is $105,410 per year in Montana. California is 50.0% above Montana on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 17-2151 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 520 wage and salary jobs in California and 110 in Montana. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings