212111/Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
16K
employees, 2023
16K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 270 US Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining business locations employed 16,376 people and paid $1.7 billion in annual payroll, $103,985 per employee on average. Employment was up 10.1% from 2022. Wyoming had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
270
+4.2% vs 2022
Employees
16,376
+10.1% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$1.7B
+15.3% vs 2022
Average pay
$103,985
+4.7% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 12 | 4,021 | $107,084 | 1.89% |
| West Virginia | 34 | 3,605 | $110,075 | 0.65% |
| Kentucky | 55 | 1,464 | $85,988 | 0.09% |
| North Dakota | 7 | 1,302* | $127,230 | 0.37% |
| Texas | 12 | 989 | $97,240 | 0.01% |
| Indiana | 6 | 851* | $95,928 | 0.03% |
| Virginia | 14 | 772 | $96,500 | 0.02% |
| Pennsylvania | 55 | 570* | $88,072 | 0.01% |
| Montana | 5 | 492* | $97,608 | 0.12% |
| Alabama | 11 | 385 | $61,317 | 0.02% |
| Colorado | 3 | 332 | $110,190 | 0.01% |
| Ohio | 24 | 274* | $83,296 | 0.01% |
| Illinois | 4 | 166 | $112,151 | 0.00% |
| Maryland | 5 | 102 | $90,529 | 0.00% |
| Arizona | 3 | 52 | $102,827 | 0.00% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 16.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gillette, WY | 9 | 3,429 | $108,419 |
| Charleston, WV | 6 | 797* | $104,393 |
| Bluefield, WV-VA | 7 | 737 | $97,672 |
| Wheeling, WV-OH | 7 | 516* | $127,118 |
| Pikeville, KY | 11 | 472 | $78,733 |
| Birmingham, AL | 8 | 260* | $52,915 |
| DuBois, PA | 14 | 211 | $81,967 |
| Longview, TX | 5 | 175 | $108,246 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 12 | 135* | $130,089 |
| Middlesborough, KY | 5 | 128* | $70,664 |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | 3 | 125 | $78,792 |
| Corbin, KY | 9 | 113 | $70,204 |
| Indiana, PA | 10 | 78* | $56,205 |
| Somerset, PA | 7 | 67* | $82,955 |
| New Philadelphia-Dover, OH | 6 | 37 | $60,676 |
Business size
US Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 82 | 30.6% |
| 5 to 9 | 43 | 16.0% |
| 10 to 19 | 37 | 13.8% |
| 20 to 49 | 44 | 16.4% |
| 50 to 99 | 26 | 9.7% |
| 100 to 249 | 19 | 7.1% |
| 250 to 499 | 13 | 4.9% |
| 500 to 999 | 4 | 1.5% |
| 1,000 or more | Not published | - |
Related industries
The industries this code belongs to
Part of Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 21Mining (except Oil and Gas) 212Coal Mining 2121Coal Mining 21211
Questions and answers
How many people work in Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining in the US?
16,376 people worked at 270 US Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining business locations in 2023, up 10.1% from 2022. That is 0.01% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining?
$103,985 a year per employee in 2023, from $1.7 billion in annual payroll (up 4.7% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining jobs?
Wyoming had the most, with 4,021 employees in 2023, followed by West Virginia (3,605) and Kentucky (1,464).
Which metro areas have the most Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining jobs?
Gillette, WY (3,429), Charleston, WV (797), Bluefield, WV-VA (737) had the most Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining employees in 2023.
Are most Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining businesses small?
60.4% of the 268 Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 4 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.