Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas

Median salary

$60,190

Average salary

$62,830

Employment

19,450

Projected growth

2.9% growth

Annual openings

1,700

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas Do

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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: Less than 5 years
On-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 3.3%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Mechanicalimportance 3.5/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.3/5
Transportationimportance 3.3/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.3/5
Designimportance 3.1/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
Production and Processingimportance 2.9/5
Law and Governmentimportance 2.8/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.8/5
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.7/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.5/5
Exposed to Hazardous Equipment4.4/5
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders97% skill match
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators96% skill match
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators96% skill match
Agricultural Equipment Operators95% skill match
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders95% skill match
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic95% skill match
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators95% skill match
Logging Equipment Operators95% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Operations Monitoringimportance 4.0/5
Operation and Controlimportance 3.9/5
Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.3/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
Equipment Selectionimportance 3.0/5
Troubleshootingimportance 3.0/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Global positioning system GPS software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Cautiousness
Attention to Detail
Perseverance
Stress Tolerance
Integrity
Self-Control

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeMedium
EnterprisingLow
SocialLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where earth drillers, except oil and gas make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).