Every Rank of a Coal Miner Career: 20.6% Get Black Lung

#RankBreakdown #RankProgression #SalaryBreakdown $14 a ton. $1.4 billion. 20.6% black lung in central Appalachia. Every rank in this career is defined by what you know about the rock above your head — and who owns the ground beneath it. Red hat/new miner: $20/hr; 40 hours of mandatory training before first shift. Roof bolter: $33.42/hr — the job that decides if you stay. Continuous miner operator: $32.87/hr on-machine (national average $29.86). Fire boss: state foreman exam requiring 5 years underground and 18 months on a working section; first-line supervisor median $81,340/year. Superintendent: ~$140,000/year; signs for tens of millions in equipment daily. Operator/owner: Joe Craft (Alliance Resource Partners) $1.4–$1.7 billion; Jim Justice sold West Virginia mines for ~$450 million in 2009. Black lung: 10%+ of miners with 25+ years underground; 20.6% in central Appalachia. Retired miner benefit: ~$773/month. Upper Big Branch, April 5, 2010: 29 miners died; CEO went to prison. EIA: production fell 11.3% in one year; active mines dropped from 560 to 524. Robert Murray built the largest privately owned coal company in America, fought dust rules in court for years, and filed for black lung benefits at 80 years old on oxygen. Most people only know the rank they're standing in. 🔔 Subscribe for the real numbers behind every career rank. ⚠️ Not financial or career advice. All figures are for educational purposes only. Individual outcomes vary. #CareerLevels #EveryRank #CareerProgression #JobSalary #HowMuchDoesXMake #CareerPath #RealSalaries #JobLevels