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Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas: Career Overview
Operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap subsurface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction. Includes horizontal and earth boring machine operators.
What Do Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas Perform?
The core tasks performed by earth drillers, except oil and gas include:
- Operate controls to stabilize machines and to position and align drills.
- Start, stop, and control drilling speed of machines and insertion of casings into holes.
- Regulate air pressure, rotary speed, and downward pressure, according to the type of rock or concrete being drilled.
- Select and attach drill bits and drill rods, adding more rods as hole depths increase, and changing drill bits as needed.
- Drive or guide truck-mounted equipment into position, level and stabilize rigs, and extend telescoping derricks.
- Operate machines to flush earth cuttings or to blow dust from holes.
- Verify depths and alignments of boring positions.
- Perform routine maintenance and upgrade work on machines and equipment, such as replacing parts, building up drill bits, and lubricating machinery.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Effective earth drillers, except oil and gas combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Auger Operator
- Blast Driller
- Blast Hole Driller
- Boring Machine Operator
- Churn Drill Operator
- Churn Driller
- Construction Driller
- Construction Well Drill Operator
Job Outlook
The U.S. employs around 365,705 earth drillers, except oil and gas working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -3.1% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $53,437 |
| Hourly median | $25.69 |
| 10th percentile | $29,425 |
| 25th percentile | $41,431 |
| 75th percentile | $65,443 |
| 90th percentile | $77,449 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $80,780 |
| Illinois | $79,860 |
| New Jersey | $78,340 |
| Alaska | $76,080 |
| Washington | $74,570 |
| New York | $74,150 |
| Nevada | $70,340 |
| Delaware | $68,070 |
| Wisconsin | $67,030 |
| Colorado | $66,500 |
| Minnesota | $65,960 |
| Vermont | $64,980 |
| New Hampshire | $64,800 |
| Oregon | $64,390 |
| Montana | $62,920 |
| Wyoming | $62,740 |
| California | $62,280 |
| Arizona | $61,640 |
| Virginia | $61,290 |
| Louisiana | $61,170 |
| Connecticut | $61,050 |
| Alabama | $60,440 |
| Indiana | $59,830 |
| Maryland | $59,780 |
| Michigan | $57,930 |
| Utah | $57,850 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,770 |
| South Dakota | $57,600 |
| Iowa | $57,570 |
| Mississippi | $57,450 |
| North Dakota | $56,840 |
| Arkansas | $56,630 |
| Kansas | $56,340 |
| South Carolina | $56,140 |
| North Carolina | $56,100 |
| Kentucky | $55,430 |
| Maine | $54,970 |
| Ohio | $54,460 |
| New Mexico | $54,060 |
| Texas | $53,850 |
| Georgia | $53,780 |
| Florida | $52,720 |
| Idaho | $50,330 |
| Tennessee | $50,160 |
| Missouri | $50,070 |
| Nebraska | $49,460 |
| Oklahoma | $48,980 |
| West Virginia | $46,920 |
Where Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas Earn the Most
Compensation for earth drillers, except oil and gas vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $66,872 | 11.6% | 0.87 |
| Far Western US | $66,435 | 16.5% | 1.77 |
| New England | $65,693 | 3.6% | 1.10 |
| Great Lakes | $62,625 | 12.5% | 1.03 |
| Rocky Mountains | $57,318 | 10.0% | 4.01 |
| Plains States | $55,873 | 8.4% | 1.39 |
| Southwest | $55,761 | 13.1% | 1.21 |
| Southeast | $55,108 | 24.3% | 1.08 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks-College, AK | AK | $92,240 | 50 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $84,110 | 100 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | IL | $80,030 | 260 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $79,050 | 120 |
| Billings, MT | MT | $78,350 | 60 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $78,340 | 550 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | OR | $74,570 | 140 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | NY | $74,290 | 40 |
Industry Breakdown
The largest employers of earth drillers, except oil and gas work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 11,730 | $59,440 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 3,200 | $61,290 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,390 | $57,000 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 450 | $57,820 |
| Information | 150 | $53,520 |
| Utilities | 90 | $65,580 |
| Manufacturing | 90 | $62,130 |
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The work environment for earth drillers, except oil and gas is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Exposed to Hazardous Equipment
Getting Started in This Career
Most earth drillers, except oil and gas positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Construction Laborers (Primary-Long)
- Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators (Supplemental)
- Pile Driver Operators (Supplemental)
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (Primary-Long)
- Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators (Supplemental)
- Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas (Supplemental)
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas (Primary-Short)
- Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas (Primary-Long)
Where to Study
Aspiring earth drillers, except oil and gas commonly pursue programs in:
Transportation and Materials Moving
1 programs across 1 majors
Construction Trades
1 programs across 1 majors
References
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 47-5023.00 (Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas).
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