Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 47-5012.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $67,853
- Projected change
- −2.2%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 12.51K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
59.8% of the workforce
Growing to 12.23K by 2035
Explore this career by location
Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.
Showing United States
Loading available locations…
Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
Loading related ASU learning
The work
What rotary drill operators, oil and gas do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes.
- 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.
- Maintain records of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, materials and tools used, services rendered, and time required.
- Maintain and adjust machinery to ensure proper performance.
- Start and examine operation of slush pumps to ensure circulation and consistency of drilling fluid or mud in well.
- Locate and recover lost or broken bits, casings, and drill pipes from wells, using special tools.
- Weigh clay, and mix with water and chemicals to make drilling mud.
- Direct rig crews in drilling and other activities, such as setting up rigs and completing or servicing wells.
- Monitor progress of drilling operations, and select and change drill bits according to the nature of strata, using hand tools.
- Repair or replace defective parts of machinery, such as rotary drill rigs, water trucks, air compressors, and pumps, using hand tools.
- Clean and oil pulleys, blocks, and cables.
- Bolt together pump and engine parts, and connect tanks and flow lines.
- Remove core samples during drilling to determine the nature of the strata being drilled.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $46,915
- 25th percentile
- $53,735
- 50th percentile
- $67,853
- 75th percentile
- $81,442
- 90th percentile
- $102,340
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $67,853 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
−2.2%projected to decline
202512,512 jobs
2035 projected12,233 jobs
279 fewer 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
- 59.8%
- Some college
- 22.2%
- Certificate
- 9.1%
- Bachelor's degree
- 8.9%
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.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- 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.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- 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.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- 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.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Drillers811 postings
- 02Drilling Assistants431 postings
- 03Driller Helpers310 postings
- 04Drillers/Exploration Team Members286 postings
- 05Directional Drill Operators246 postings
- 06Construction Equipment Operators161 postings
- 07Geotechnical Managers136 postings
- 08Directional Drillers126 postings
- 09Horizontal Machinists121 postings
- 10Operators117 postings
- 11Locators79 postings
- 12Drill Operators73 postings
- 13Equipment Operators72 postings
- 14Underground Miners62 postings
- 15Preferred Sales Specialists51 postings
- 16Underground Utility Locators47 postings
- 17Summer Interns44 postings
- 18Floorhands43 postings
- 19Drilling Technicians39 postings
- 20Foundation Directors37 postings
Top employers
- 01Terracon Consultants281 postings
- 02Cascade Drilling, Lp212 postings
- 03MasTec118 postings
- 04Maine Drilling & Blasting113 postings
- 05Telcom Construction77 postings
- 06Electricom64 postings
- 07Universal Engineering Sciences58 postings
- 08Nabors USA48 postings
- 09Push [Montreal]46 postings
- 10Vulcan Materials45 postings
- 11Aerotek43 postings
- 12Cascade Environmental43 postings
- 13Ledcor Construction40 postings
- 14Nabors Industries, Ltd.39 postings
- 15Congruex38 postings
- 16Hy-tech Drilling Ltd.38 postings
- 17Cascade Remediation Services36 postings
- 18Geostabilization36 postings
- 19Hitachi35 postings
- 20UtiliQuest35 postings
Keep looking