Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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 Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Industry profile for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Geographic profile for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
National estimates for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 11,170 |
8.6 % |
$ 29.73 |
$ 61,840 |
2.6 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 17.74 |
$ 22.57 |
$ 27.10 |
$ 37.02 |
$ 46.40 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 36,890 |
$ 46,940 |
$ 56,380 |
$ 76,990 |
$ 96,520 |
Industry profile for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
Top paying industries for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
Geographic profile for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Texas |
4,340 |
0.36 |
4.48 |
$ 30.44 |
$ 63,320 |
| Oklahoma |
1,570 |
1.01 |
12.73 |
$ 26.42 |
$ 54,960 |
| California |
970 |
0.06 |
0.74 |
$ 37.93 |
$ 78,900 |
| Louisiana |
760 |
0.43 |
5.38 |
$ 29.40 |
$ 61,150 |
| New Mexico |
320 |
0.42 |
5.24 |
$ 35.99 |
$ 74,850 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Oklahoma |
1,570 |
1.01 |
12.73 |
$ 26.42 |
$ 54,960 |
| Alaska |
270 |
0.90 |
11.37 |
$ 29.87 |
$ 62,130 |
| North Dakota |
300 |
0.75 |
9.45 |
$ 36.24 |
$ 75,380 |
| Louisiana |
760 |
0.43 |
5.38 |
$ 29.40 |
$ 61,150 |
| New Mexico |
320 |
0.42 |
5.24 |
$ 35.99 |
$ 74,850 |
Top paying states for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
1,670 |
0.58 |
7.26 |
$ 34.32 |
$ 71,380 |
| Oklahoma City, OK |
600 |
0.99 |
12.45 |
$ 27.47 |
$ 57,130 |
| Bakersfield, CA |
460 |
1.49 |
18.82 |
$ 35.69 |
$ 74,240 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
210 |
0.04 |
0.47 |
$ 40.48 |
$ 84,210 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
180 |
0.12 |
1.53 |
$ 36.42 |
$ 75,750 |
| Tulsa, OK |
180 |
0.42 |
5.32 |
$ 30.29 |
$ 63,000 |
| Lafayette, LA |
130 |
0.72 |
9.04 |
$ 36.40 |
$ 75,710 |
| Houma-Thibodaux, LA |
100 |
1.19 |
15.06 |
$ 31.25 |
$ 65,000 |
| San Angelo, TX |
60 |
1.27 |
16.03 |
$ 30.66 |
$ 63,760 |
| Abilene, TX |
50 |
0.71 |
8.95 |
$ 25.06 |
$ 52,120 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Bakersfield, CA |
460 |
1.49 |
18.82 |
$ 35.69 |
$ 74,240 |
| San Angelo, TX |
60 |
1.27 |
16.03 |
$ 30.66 |
$ 63,760 |
| Houma-Thibodaux, LA |
100 |
1.19 |
15.06 |
$ 31.25 |
$ 65,000 |
| Oklahoma City, OK |
600 |
0.99 |
12.45 |
$ 27.47 |
$ 57,130 |
| Lafayette, LA |
130 |
0.72 |
9.04 |
$ 36.40 |
$ 75,710 |
| Abilene, TX |
50 |
0.71 |
8.95 |
$ 25.06 |
$ 52,120 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
1,670 |
0.58 |
7.26 |
$ 34.32 |
$ 71,380 |
| Tulsa, OK |
180 |
0.42 |
5.32 |
$ 30.29 |
$ 63,000 |
| Corpus Christi, TX |
50 |
0.26 |
3.31 |
$ 28.85 |
$ 60,000 |
| Anchorage, AK |
40 |
0.24 |
3.05 |
$ 34.49 |
$ 71,740 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
210 |
0.04 |
0.47 |
$ 40.48 |
$ 84,210 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
180 |
0.12 |
1.53 |
$ 36.42 |
$ 75,750 |
| Lafayette, LA |
130 |
0.72 |
9.04 |
$ 36.40 |
$ 75,710 |
| Bakersfield, CA |
460 |
1.49 |
18.82 |
$ 35.69 |
$ 74,240 |
| Anchorage, AK |
40 |
0.24 |
3.05 |
$ 34.49 |
$ 71,740 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
1,670 |
0.58 |
7.26 |
$ 34.32 |
$ 71,380 |
| Midland, TX |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 31.49 |
$ 65,510 |
| Houma-Thibodaux, LA |
100 |
1.19 |
15.06 |
$ 31.25 |
$ 65,000 |
| San Angelo, TX |
60 |
1.27 |
16.03 |
$ 30.66 |
$ 63,760 |
| Tulsa, OK |
180 |
0.42 |
5.32 |
$ 30.29 |
$ 63,000 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas:
About May 2021 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.
(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 OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
