Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 47-5023.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $59,927
- Projected change
- +6.9%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 21.69K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
87.8% of the workforce
Growing to 23.19K by 2035
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The work
What earth drillers, except oil and gas do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Operate controls to stabilize machines and to position and align drills.
- Regulate air pressure, rotary speed, and downward pressure, according to the type of rock or concrete being drilled.
- Start, stop, and control drilling speed of machines and insertion of casings into holes.
- 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.
- Select the appropriate drill for the job, using knowledge of rock or soil conditions.
- Document geological formations encountered during work.
- Drive trucks, tractors, or truck-mounted drills to and from work sites.
- Record drilling progress and geological data.
- Assemble and position machines, augers, casing pipes, and other equipment, using hand and power tools.
- Retrieve lost equipment from bore holes, using retrieval tools and equipment.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $42,855
- 25th percentile
- $48,647
- 50th percentile
- $59,927
- 75th percentile
- $74,504
- 90th percentile
- $93,658
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $59,927 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+6.9%faster than average
202521,691 jobs
2035 projected23,185 jobs
1,494 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 87.8%
- Certificate
- 12.2%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Directional Drill Operators985 postings
- 02Drill Operators662 postings
- 03Directional Drillers242 postings
- 04Well Drillers143 postings
- 05Drill Rig Operators104 postings
- 06Heavy Construction Equipment Operators73 postings
- 07Drillers64 postings
- 08Underground Utility Locators47 postings
- 09Drilling Machine Operators41 postings
- 10Mill Operators27 postings
- 11Horizontal Machinists23 postings
- 12Driller Helpers20 postings
- 13Heavy Equipment Operators18 postings
- 14Manufacturing Operators11 postings
- 15Pump Installers11 postings
- 16Production Operators10 postings
- 17CNC Machine Operators8 postings
- 18Environmental Technicians8 postings
- 19Environmentalists8 postings
- 20Equipment Operators8 postings
Top employers
- 01MasTec171 postings
- 02Maine Drilling & Blasting161 postings
- 03Telcom Construction69 postings
- 04Verità Telecommunications Corporation45 postings
- 05TDS Telecom38 postings
- 06Miller Pipeline37 postings
- 07Artera36 postings
- 08Congruex25 postings
- 09North Central Service25 postings
- 10UtiliQuest25 postings
- 11Valley Well Drilling25 postings
- 12Telcom, S.A.24 postings
- 13Lamberts Cable Splicing Company23 postings
- 14Entersource20 postings
- 15Southeast Caissons19 postings
- 16Itg Communications18 postings
- 17Lscg18 postings
- 18North Sky Communications17 postings
- 19TTM Technologies17 postings
- 20Utilities One17 postings
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