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Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas

Role Overview

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.

Salary by State (top paying)

State Median salary
Massachusetts $80,780
Illinois $79,860
New Jersey $78,340
Alaska $76,080
Washington $74,570
New York $74,150
Nevada $70,340
Delaware $68,070
Wisconsin $67,030
Colorado $66,500
Minnesota $65,960
Vermont $64,980
New Hampshire $64,800
Oregon $64,390
Montana $62,920

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the job outlook for this career?

Projected growth and annual openings are from BLS Employment Projections. Use the sidebar for median salary and growth rate.

How does salary vary by state?

See the Salary by State table above for state-level median wages from OEWS data.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), BLS Employment Projections.

Median Annual Salary

$59,600

Projected Growth (10yr)

+2.9%

Avg. annual openings

1.7k

Market Insight

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