How To Become A Back Digger Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a back digger operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a back digger operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.13 an hour? That's $37,718 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 32,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreBack Digger OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,718

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.27%

Asian 2.55%

Black or African American 9.24%

Hispanic or Latino 16.02%

Unknown 3.67%

White 67.25%

Gender

female 2.27%

male 97.73%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a back digger operator

Explore back digger operator education requirements

Most common back digger operator degrees

High School Diploma

66.7 %

Bachelor's

16.7 %

Associate

16.7 %

Start to develop specific back digger operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	44.32%
PPE	34.52%
Safety Procedures	13.90%
CDL License	7.26%

Complete relevant back digger operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New back digger operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a back digger operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real back digger operator resumes.

Research back digger operator duties and responsibilities

Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.

Prepare your back digger operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your back digger operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a back digger operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable back digger operator resume templates

Build a professional back digger operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your back digger operator resume.