Careers / Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Rotary Drill Operators, 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
$67,890
United States, 2025
Employment
12,600
United States, 2025
Typical education
Less than a High School Diploma
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Set up or operate a variety of drills to remove underground oil and gas, or remove core samples for testing during oil and gas exploration.
- O*NET code
- 47-5012.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- Clean and oil pulleys, blocks, and cables.
- Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective.
- Observe pressure gauge and move throttles and levers to control the speed of rotary tables, and to regulate pressure of tools at bottoms of boreholes.
- Maintain records of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, materials and tools used, services rendered, and time required.
- Push levers and brake pedals to control gasoline, diesel, electric, or steam draw works that lower and raise drill pipes and casings in and out of wells.
- Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs.
- Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes.
- Maintain and adjust machinery to ensure proper performance.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$47,010
25th percentile
$53,810
75th percentile
$81,360
90th percentile
$101,860
Most important skills
- Critical Thinking3.6
- Operations Monitoring3.6
- Operation and Control3.6
- Monitoring3.5
- Active Listening3.4
- Instructing3.4
- Coordination3.3
- Speaking3.3
- Complex Problem Solving3.1
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Learning Strategies3.0
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 17 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
17
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operation and Control | 3.6 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.6 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.6 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Instructing | 3.4 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Monitoring | 3.5 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Coordination | 3.3 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Repairing | 3.0 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.0 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Active Listening | 3.4 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Speaking | 3.3 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Writing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and GasHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| AK | $85,470 | 130 | 2025 |
| Anchorage, AK | $85,470 | 40 | 2025 |
| NM | $82,780 | 580 | 2025 |
| Dallas, TX | $81,360 | 470 | 2025 |
| CO | $79,830 | 110 | 2025 |
| Tyler, TX | $79,640 | 80 | 2025 |
| Houston, TX | $79,450 | 2,100 | 2025 |
| NE | $79,140 | 40 | 2025 |
| Midland, TX | $78,260 | 490 | 2025 |
| TX | $77,840 | 5,980 | 2025 |
| Bakersfield, CA | $75,660 | 190 | 2025 |
| ND | $71,280 | 230 | 2025 |
| UT | $70,400 | — | 2025 |
| Grand Junction, CO | $69,120 | 30 | 2025 |
| AL | $67,400 | 40 | 2025 |
| MS | $67,290 | 130 | 2025 |
| NY | $67,000 | 50 | 2025 |
| CA | $65,520 | 460 | 2025 |
| OH | $63,600 | 290 | 2025 |
| Canton, OH | $63,600 | 50 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Rotary Drill Operators, 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.