Construction & Extraction
Derrick & Rotary Drill Operators
SOC 47-5011
Operate the rigs that drill for oil and gas, often far from home.
The job
Median pay
$59k
$50k to $72k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+1.6% projected
Openings a year
900
BLS projection
Typical education
No formal credential
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
9/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
10th pct
More exposed than 10% of occupations · modeled estimate · 13th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
53/100
Key skills
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 5,810 | 0.4 | 6.1× | $56k |
| California | 1,109 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $55k~ |
| Louisiana | 890 | 0.5 | 6.8× | $87k |
| New Mexico | 880 | 1.0 | 14.8× | $60k |
| Oklahoma | 580 | 0.3 | 5.0× | $58k |
| New York | 527 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $69k~ |
| North Dakota | 490 | 1.1 | 16.8× | $72k |
| North Carolina | 324 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $49k~ |
| Illinois | 309 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $46k~ |
| Virginia | 292 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $56k~ |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 290 | 0.1 | 1.5× | $65k |
| Arizona | 288 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $57k~ |
| Washington | 277 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $74k~ |
| Georgia | 256 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $49k~ |
| Indiana | 240 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $61k~ |
| Massachusetts | 219 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $76k~ |
| New Jersey | 208 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $72k~ |
| Tennessee | 207 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $50k~ |
| Minnesota | 202 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $71k~ |
| Mississippi | 200 | 0.2 | 2.5× | $47k |
| Wisconsin | 193 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $63k~ |
| Missouri | 191 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $61k~ |
| Maryland | 184 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $59k~ |
| Alaska | 170 | 0.5 | 7.7× | $78k |
| Nevada | 148 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $61k~ |
| Alabama | 147 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $49k~ |
| Oregon | 146 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $65k~ |
| South Carolina | 141 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $49k~ |
| Pennsylvania | 140 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $60k |
| Wyoming | 140 | 0.5 | 7.3× | $77k |
| Kentucky | 127 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $52k~ |
| Ohio | 120 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $51k |
| Iowa | 116 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $59k~ |
| Kansas | 101 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $54k~ |
| Idaho | 93 | 0.1 | 1.6× | $55k~ |
| Connecticut | 84 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $71k~ |
| Nebraska | 84 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $53k~ |
| Utah | 80 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $57k |
| Florida | 60 | 0.0 | 0.1× | $65k |
| West Virginia | 60 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $51k |
| Maine | 53 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $59k~ |
| Montana | 53 | 0.1 | 1.5× | $60k~ |
| Arkansas | 50 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $50k |
| Hawaii | 49 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $81k~ |
| South Dakota | 43 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $49k~ |
| New Hampshire | 42 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $59k~ |
| Michigan | 40 | 0.0 | 0.1× | $45k |
| Delaware | 31 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $58k~ |
| Rhode Island | 30 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $62k~ |
| Vermont | 24 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $59k~ |
| Washington DC | 21 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $69k~ |
Top metro areas
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX1,560 jobs · $63k median
- Midland, TX580 jobs · $56k median
- Odessa, TX390 jobs · $53k median
- Oklahoma City, OK260 jobs · $62k median
- Farmington, NM180 jobs · $53k median
- San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX160 jobs · $49k median
- Lubbock, TX120 jobs · $48k median
- Tyler, TX120 jobs · $63k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Derrick & Rotary Drill Operators interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.