Coal country question that has bugged me for a while

[Recursion]

If coal mining starts at about $60K with no college degree (and as far as I can tell that's the number), why are the counties where coal mines are the main employers so poor? Do they just not need many miners anymore?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. They just don't need many miners anymore.

Peak employment was in the 1920s. Peak production was in the 1950s.

[madokie]

2. republiCON policies

in those states is my guess

[Wounded Bear]

3. Coal has been dying for years...

Jobs have been going away due to mechanization. Around the world, coal is being phased out. There is no such thing as clean coal, that's an oxymoron pushed by the industry. Everywhere around the world, people are looking for and finding clean alternatives.

Hillary was right, the coal miners jobs are not coming back, no matter what Trump claims. We need to find alternatives and train them in new careers. The sooner the better. They may not believe it and still may vote for Trump, but it's a real wake up. Trump is lying, he's not bringing coal back.

[duncang]

5. This

All forms of energy jobs have had big changes in job posts. Mainly due to advances in technology. You can do a lot more with fewer people now. I only worked at a open pit coal mine for a short time. But the piece of equipment I helped upgrade. Went from having 4 to 5 people stationed at it to none and one person in a control room controlling 4 of them. They only sent out some one if there was a problem to repair it.

[tech3149]

4. I think you already know the answer

The number of people needed for a mountaintop removal site is only a handful. Tons of explosives, some heavy equipment can destroy thousands of acres in a week. Long wall mining may be more labor intensive but automation and the declining number of profitable mining locations has shrunk the need for labor.
An honest look at the state economy of say W VA would show that direct employment in the coal industry is only about 7% of the labor force. Even when those are good paying jobs they can't support the other 93% that can't find a job that pays Jack squat.
Any area that bases its economy on resource extraction has ALWAYS left the population in general living in poverty. The wealth leaves the community (except for a few people) and the long term damage fall on the shoulders of those who live there.