Transportation and material moving
Dredge operator
Operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.
Median pay
$49,640
Growth to 2035
+1%
little or no change
Openings a year
100
Time to qualify*
6 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Dredge operator
$49,64010% earn under $41,080 · middle half $46,430–$62,070 · top 10% over $74,140
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dredge operator
Dealing with the public
Rarely
Constantly
Unpleasant or angry people
Rarely
Constantly
Time pressure
Rarely
Constantly
Cost of a mistake
Minor
Severe
Freedom to make decisions
Little
A lot
Repeating the same tasks
Rarely
Constantly
Time sitting
Rarely
Constantly
Time standing
Rarely
Constantly
Outdoors in all weather
Rarely
Constantly
Hazardous conditions
Rarely
Constantly
Dredge operator: 85% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Move levers to position dredges for excavation, to engage hydraulic pumps, to raise and lower suction booms, and to control rotation of cutterheads.
- Start and stop engines to operate equipment.
- 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.
- Lower anchor poles to verify depths of excavations, using winches, or scan depth gauges to determine depths of excavations.
- Direct or assist workers placing shore anchors and cables, laying additional pipes from dredges to shore, and pumping water from pontoons.
Also called: Dredge Operator · Dredger
Outlook and AI
Dredge operators held 1,300 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 1,300 by 2035 (+1%, little or no change; all jobs: +3.5%).
Productivity change - share decreases as dredge control and monitoring systems become more advanced as dredging processes become increasingly more complex, increasing the productivity of dredge operators.
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