Careers / Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$60,190
United States, 2025
Employment
19,450
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
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.
- O*NET code
- 47-5023.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$44,460
25th percentile
$49,900
75th percentile
$72,450
90th percentile
$83,800
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring4.0
- Operation and Control3.9
- Critical Thinking3.3
- Equipment Maintenance3.3
- Monitoring3.1
- Troubleshooting3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Active Listening3.0
- Quality Control Analysis3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Equipment Selection3.0
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 12 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
12
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Monitoring | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Operation and Control | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.3 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Speaking | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
| Equipment Selection | 3.0 | 2.5 | Not selected | 2.5 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Earth Drillers, Except Oil and GasHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks, AK | $94,600 | 60 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $89,300 | 90 | 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | $81,960 | 220 | 2025 |
| WA | $80,490 | 210 | 2025 |
| AK | $80,040 | 290 | 2025 |
| Anchorage, AK | $80,030 | — | 2025 |
| IL | $79,080 | 330 | 2025 |
| Billings, MT | $78,410 | 40 | 2025 |
| NJ | $77,950 | 400 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $76,850 | 120 | 2025 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $74,300 | 140 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $74,120 | 530 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $73,560 | 210 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $73,090 | 90 | 2025 |
| Saginaw, MI | $72,800 | 30 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $71,790 | 150 | 2025 |
| Flint, MI | $71,650 | 30 | 2025 |
| MT | $71,470 | 180 | 2025 |
| Spokane, WA | $71,280 | 40 | 2025 |
| WI | $68,320 | 280 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.