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Exploration manager salary

Average exploration manager salary

$49,995

$24.04 hourly rate

Entry-level exploration manager salary
$24,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Exploration Manager Salaries

The average salary for an Exploration Manager is approximately $49,995 annually, translating to about $24 per hour. This figure varies significantly based on factors such as geographical location, years of experience, and industry sector. For instance, exploration managers in states with rich natural resources often earn higher salaries due to increased demand for skilled professionals.

Salary by Experience Level

Entry-level positions typically start lower, around $35,000, while experienced managers can earn upwards of $70,000 annually. This upward trajectory emphasizes the value of experience in this field.

Highest Paying States

Some of the highest paying states for this role include California, Texas, and Alaska, where the exploration industry is thriving. These locations offer not only competitive salaries but also opportunities for career growth.

Job Opportunities

As resource exploration continues to expand, the demand for qualified Exploration Managers is expected to grow. Companies are seeking individuals with strong leadership skills and a background in geology, engineering, or environmental science.

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Where can an Exploration Manager earn more?

Compare salary by location
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Columbus, OH$102,179
Eureka, UT$34,716
Compare salary by company
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162k
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Hess$146,825
Nike$32,185

Exploration manager salaries by experience level

Exploration manager salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for an exploration manager typically falls between $49,995 and $315,887.
zippia
$49,995yearly
glassdoor[1]
$162,652yearly
comparably[2]
$134,131yearly
Salary.com[3]
$315,887yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$234,250yearly

Average exploration manager salary by state

The average exploration manager salary in Alaska, New York, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average exploration manager salary states are Montana, South Carolina, and Arkansas.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for exploration managers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Connecticut$78,540$37.76
2Pennsylvania$69,903$33.61
3Delaware$66,475$31.96
4New York$87,035$41.84
5District of Columbia$68,585$32.97
6New Jersey$65,811$31.64
7California$68,819$33.09
8Alaska$99,128$47.66
9Washington$63,403$30.48
10Massachusetts$76,731$36.89
11Rhode Island$58,435$28.09
12Ohio$49,967$24.02
13Vermont$54,724$26.31
14Illinois$52,205$25.10
15Wisconsin$49,629$23.86
16West Virginia$57,800$27.79
17Michigan$49,584$23.84
18New Hampshire$54,445$26.18
19Indiana$47,062$22.63
20Arizona$51,476$24.75
21Maryland$49,124$23.62
22Nevada$48,092$23.12
23Texas$52,260$25.13
24Minnesota$50,593$24.32
25Maine$51,766$24.89
26Florida$46,956$22.57
27Oregon$48,653$23.39
28New Mexico$47,914$23.04
29Virginia$43,937$21.12
30Hawaii$50,327$24.20
31North Dakota$47,940$23.05
32Kentucky$42,352$20.36
33Iowa$42,526$20.45
34Idaho$45,477$21.86
35North Carolina$42,998$20.67
36Missouri$45,982$22.11
37Louisiana$44,857$21.57
38Tennessee$38,579$18.55
39Nebraska$42,382$20.38
40Kansas$41,767$20.08
41Alabama$42,010$20.20
42Colorado$40,203$19.33
43Oklahoma$38,953$18.73
44Georgia$39,478$18.98
45South Dakota$40,140$19.30
46South Carolina$37,476$18.02
47Utah$34,545$16.61
48Montana$38,100$18.32
49Arkansas$37,143$17.86
50Mississippi$34,562$16.62
51Wyoming$37,060$17.82

Highest paying cities for exploration managers

The highest-paying cities for exploration managers are Anchorage, AK, New York, NY, and Carmel Valley Village, CA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Anchorage, AK$102,179$49.12
2New York, NY$88,429$42.51
3Carmel Valley Village, CA$71,690$34.47
4Washington, DC$68,399$32.88
5Bellevue, WA$63,822$30.68
6Houston, TX$52,722$25.35
7Beaverton, OR$48,251$23.20
8Valmy, NV$40,312$19.38
9Golden, CO$40,079$19.27
10Heavener, OK$39,193$18.84
11Eureka, UT$34,716$16.69

Exploration manager salary details

An exploration manager's salary ranges from $24,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $101,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average exploration manager salary graph
Average exploration manager salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an exploration manager's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$101,000$8,417$49
75th Percentile$72,000$6,000$35
Average$49,995$4,166$24
25th Percentile$34,000$2,833$16
10th Percentile$24,000$2,000$12

Highest paying exploration manager jobs

The highest paying types of exploration managers are supervisor and project manager, assistant superintendent, and electrical contractor.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Project Supervisor$53,609$4,467$25.7720,450
Field Supervisor$42,894$3,574$20.6256,540
House Supervisor$61,029$5,086$29.3438,478
Site Supervisor$48,250$4,021$23.2020,025
Crew Supervisor$41,760$3,480$20.0868,330
Crew Foreman$51,929$4,327$24.9770,468

Top companies hiring exploration managers now:

  1. Coterra Energy jobs (1)
  2. Hess jobs (9)
  3. Apache jobs (1)
  4. Chevron jobs (2)
  5. Marathon Oil jobs (4)

Which companies pay exploration managers the most?

Exploration manager salaries at Hess and Chevron are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average exploration manager salary at companies like Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Bellevue Jr/Sr High School are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Hess$146,825$70.59
2Chevron$138,131$66.41
3Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group$64,903$31.20
4Bellevue Jr/Sr High School$64,170$30.85
5Broken Hill Proprietary$51,699$24.86
6National Geographic$50,673$24.36
7Aimbridge Hospitality$49,125$23.62
8Maersk Line$45,858$22.05
9Nike$32,185$15.47

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$52,000$49,400$46,800$44,200$41,600$39,000
MaleFemale

Exploration manager salary trends

The average exploration manager salary has risen by $6,404 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average exploration manager earned $43,591 annually, but today, they earn $49,995 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for exploration managers over the last decade.

Compare exploration manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average exploration manager salary over time

Compare exploration manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Exploration manager salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$50,000$24.04+2.4%
2024$48,800$23.46+1.5%
2023$48,100$23.11+1.8%
2022$47,200$22.70+1.7%
2021$46,400$22.31+1.4%

Recently added exploration manager salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Camsharks/CamsharksliveExplore New HorizonsSan Antonio, TX05/23/2025$41,740
Oradell Public School District2025 Summer Explorations StaffOradell, NJ03/24/2025$104,350
AecomAssistant Field Exploration ManagerSacramento, CA03/21/2025$110,000
The Doe Run CompanyExploration/LAB-Summer StudentViburnum, MO03/20/2025$37,044
Thanksgiving PointExplorer-Jurassic JungleLehi, UT03/06/2025$22,957
Camsharks/CamsharksliveExplore New HorizonsSan Antonio, TX02/26/2025$41,740
Oradell Public School District2025 Summer Explorations StaffOradell, NJ02/19/2025$104,350
Thanksgiving Point InstituteExplorer-Ashton Gardens (Seasonal-Tulip Festival)Lehi, UT02/15/2025$22,957
Kryptonite LLCExploration ManagerIncline Village, NV02/11/2025$89,160
Camsharks/CamsharksliveExplore New HorizonsSan Antonio, TX01/24/2025$41,740

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