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Skilled Trades

Dredge Operators

Operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.

Median salary (BLS)

$49,640

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$41k – $74k

Job outlook

+1% (about average)

AI exposure

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Dredge Operators" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Dredge Operators

    Entry / Junior

    $41,080

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Dredge Operators

    Established

    $49,640

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Dredge Operators

    Senior

    $61,890

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.