Construction and Extraction Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 47-5012

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

O*NET task statements lead this Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Roof Bolters, Mining, Structural Iron and Steel Workers, Electricians, Pile Driver Operators.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas: Roof Bolters, Mining ($79K) , Structural Iron and Steel Workers ($63K) , Electricians ($63K) , Pile Driver Operators ($73K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 47-5012 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective
  2. 2. Observe pressure gauge and move throttles and levers to control the speed of rotary tables, and to regulate pressure of tools at bottoms…
  3. 3. Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes
  4. 4. Push levers and brake pedals to control gasoline, diesel, electric, or steam draw works that lower and raise drill pipes and casings in a…
  5. 5. Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs
  6. 6. Maintain records of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, materials and tools used, services rendered, and time requ…
  7. 7. Maintain and adjust machinery to ensure proper performance
  8. 8. Start and examine operation of slush pumps to ensure circulation and consistency of drilling fluid or mud in well
  9. 9. Locate and recover lost or broken bits, casings, and drill pipes from wells, using special tools
  10. 10. Weigh clay, and mix with water and chemicals to make drilling mud
  11. 11. Direct rig crews in drilling and other activities, such as setting up rigs and completing or servicing wells
  12. 12. Monitor progress of drilling operations, and select and change drill bits according to the nature of strata, using hand tools

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas: O*NET ranks Critical Thinking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 47-5012 - lead skill Critical Thinking at 3.6 ; lead knowledge Mechanical. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Critical Thinking 3.6
  2. 2. Operations Monitoring 3.6
  3. 3. Operation and Control 3.6
  4. 4. Monitoring 3.5
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.4
  6. 6. Instructing 3.4
  7. 7. Speaking 3.3
  8. 8. Coordination 3.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mechanical 3.9
  2. 2. Mathematics 3.8
  3. 3. Administration and Management 3.3
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.2
  5. 5. Personnel and Human Resources 3.1
  6. 6. Public Safety and Security 2.8
National median after O*NET task lead
$67,890
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective
$68K
National median
↑ +0%
Growth 2024-2034
1,200
Annual openings
12,600
Estimated US jobs
Roof Bolters, Mining
Highest-pay peer · $79K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

1. New York $67,000
2. Texas $77,840
3. North Dakota $71,280
4. Colorado $79,830
5. Nebraska $79,140
6. Alabama $67,400
7. New Mexico $82,780
8. Utah $70,400
9. Mississippi $67,290
10. Alaska $85,470

Other Construction and Extraction Occupations titles

  1. 1. Roof Bolters, Mining $78,540
  2. 2. Electricians $63,190
  3. 3. Pile Driver Operators $73,300
  4. 4. Construction and Building Inspectors $74,690
  5. 5. Tapers $68,270
  6. 6. Structural Iron and Steel Workers $62,780

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas (SOC 47-5012). The national OEWS median is $67,890 inside Construction and Extraction Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Roof Bolters, Mining, Structural Iron and Steel Workers, Electricians, Pile Driver Operators. Lead published task: Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective.

Employment Projections expect +0% change between 2024 and 2034 (slower than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: New York at $67,000. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Roof Bolters, Mining at $78,540. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas pay-rank #12 in Construction and Extraction Occupations

Among 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations with a published OEWS median, Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas is pay-rank #12, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 47-5012 · national median $67,890 · upper third of Construction and Extraction Occupations (#12/60). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 47-5012

New York · top state for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

$67K published median

Texas · #2 state pay

$78K · behind New York

Roof Bolters, Mining

Highest-pay peer vs Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas · $79K

Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Lower-pay peer beside Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas · $63K

Compare Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Construction and Extraction Occupations titles sit near Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas at the top of the pay table? ▼
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas is pay-rank #12 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Tapers ($68K), Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators ($70K), Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other ($70K), Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters ($64K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do rotary drill operators, oil and gas do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas. Leading ones include: 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…; 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 a…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for rotary drill operators, oil and gas? ▼
For SOC 47-5012, O*NET importance scores lead with Critical Thinking (3.6), Operations Monitoring (3.6), Operation and Control (3.6), Monitoring (3.5). Knowledge areas emphasize Mechanical, Mathematics, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $67,890 as the national median for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas. The published 10th-90th range is $47,010 to $101,860. Beside Roof Bolters, Mining ($78,540), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas is +0%. Projected annual openings: about 1,200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: slower than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas? ▼
New York ($67,000), Texas ($77,840), North Dakota ($71,280) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 47-5012. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics