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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

47-5012 Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

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. Excludes “Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas” (47-5023).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
21,010 5.8 % $27.44 $57,070 1.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $15.71 $20.42 $26.43 $33.40 $40.18
Annual Wage (2) $32,670 $42,470 $54,980 $69,480 $83,570


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Support Activities for Mining 17,690 5.06 $26.86 $55,860
Oil and Gas Extraction 1,870 1.33 $29.17 $60,670
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 420 0.37 $46.47 $96,650
Utility System Construction 200 0.03 $18.06 $37,570
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 140 0.01 $20.44 $42,510

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Support Activities for Mining 17,690 5.06 $26.86 $55,860
Oil and Gas Extraction 1,870 1.33 $29.17 $60,670
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 420 0.37 $46.47 $96,650
Utility System Construction 200 0.03 $18.06 $37,570
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 140 0.01 $20.44 $42,510

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 420 0.37 $46.47 $96,650
Management of Companies and Enterprises 40 (7) $46.40 $96,510
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 40 (7) $37.82 $78,670
Oil and Gas Extraction 1,870 1.33 $29.17 $60,670
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (8) (8) $28.23 $58,720


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 8,220 0.66 4.62 $27.51 $57,220
Oklahoma 3,480 2.15 15.04 $27.07 $56,300
California 1,680 0.10 0.67 $33.14 $68,930
New Mexico 1,040 1.27 8.85 $22.79 $47,400
Pennsylvania 970 0.16 1.15 $25.72 $53,490




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Oklahoma 3,480 2.15 15.04 $27.07 $56,300
North Dakota 870 2.07 14.45 $28.92 $60,140
New Mexico 1,040 1.27 8.85 $22.79 $47,400
Wyoming 220 0.82 5.73 $33.75 $70,200
Alaska 220 0.69 4.81 $37.90 $78,830




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 220 0.69 4.81 $37.90 $78,830
Wyoming 220 0.82 5.73 $33.75 $70,200
California 1,680 0.10 0.67 $33.14 $68,930
Colorado 520 0.19 1.35 $32.21 $67,010
North Dakota 870 2.07 14.45 $28.92 $60,140





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 3,240 1.06 7.43 $28.73 $59,760
Oklahoma City, OK 1,780 2.84 19.83 $29.95 $62,290
Bakersfield, CA 990 3.12 21.84 $29.90 $62,200
Pittsburgh, PA 540 0.47 3.30 $27.48 $57,160
Lafayette, LA 480 2.44 17.02 $22.97 $47,770
Odessa, TX 440 5.36 37.44 $28.14 $58,520
Tulsa, OK 370 0.84 5.84 $23.28 $48,420
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 330 0.09 0.63 $29.35 $61,050
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 240 0.16 1.09 $36.31 $75,520
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 230 0.04 0.25 $35.76 $74,390




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Odessa, TX 440 5.36 37.44 $28.14 $58,520
Bakersfield, CA 990 3.12 21.84 $29.90 $62,200
Oklahoma City, OK 1,780 2.84 19.83 $29.95 $62,290
Casper, WY 100 2.67 18.68 $34.20 $71,140
Lafayette, LA 480 2.44 17.02 $22.97 $47,770
Longview, TX 160 1.66 11.60 $26.89 $55,940
Farmington, NM 80 1.61 11.23 $32.03 $66,610
Tyler, TX 160 1.52 10.63 $33.61 $69,910
Greeley, CO 160 1.46 10.24 $26.03 $54,150
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 110 1.30 9.05 $26.00 $54,080




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 150 0.06 0.43 $54.22 $112,770
Anchorage, AK 40 0.23 1.64 $44.91 $93,410
Abilene, TX (8) (8) (8) $38.33 $79,730
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 240 0.16 1.09 $36.31 $75,520
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 230 0.04 0.25 $35.76 $74,390
Casper, WY 100 2.67 18.68 $34.20 $71,140
Tyler, TX 160 1.52 10.63 $33.61 $69,910
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 80 0.14 0.98 $33.08 $68,810
Farmington, NM 80 1.61 11.23 $32.03 $66,610
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (8) (8) (8) $31.36 $65,230

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 900 5.49 38.37 $21.45 $44,620
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 850 6.74 47.08 $28.73 $59,760
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 800 8.17 57.09 $22.68 $47,170
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 620 3.07 21.46 $26.69 $55,500
Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 510 3.38 23.59 $21.55 $44,820

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 800 8.17 57.09 $22.68 $47,170
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 850 6.74 47.08 $28.73 $59,760
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area 440 5.54 38.72 $27.02 $56,190
Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 900 5.49 38.37 $21.45 $44,620
Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 510 3.38 23.59 $21.55 $44,820

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $36.69 $76,320
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 160 1.52 10.60 $36.33 $75,560
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 270 0.99 6.89 $31.05 $64,580
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 50 0.38 2.66 $30.08 $62,570
Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 30 0.35 2.46 $29.87 $62,130


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020