Construction and extraction
Rock splitters, quarry
Separate blocks of rough dimension stone from quarry mass using jackhammers, wedges, or chop saws.
Median pay
$48,740
Growth to 2035
+6%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
400
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Rock splitters, quarry
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Rock splitters, quarry: 16% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Locate grain line patterns to determine how rocks will split when cut.
- Remove pieces of stone from larger masses, using jackhammers, wedges, and other tools.
- Insert wedges and feathers into holes, and drive wedges with sledgehammers to split stone sections from masses.
- Mark dimensions or outlines on stone prior to cutting, using rules and chalk lines.
Also called: Driller · Quarry Worker · Rock Splitter · Splitter Operator · Stone Breaker · Stone Splitter
Outlook and AI
Rock splitters, quarry held 3,500 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 3,700 by 2035 (+6%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
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