Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Also called: Drill Operator, Driller, Oil Well Driller, Rotary DrillerSet up or operate a variety of drills to remove underground oil and gas, or remove core samples for testing during oil and gas exploration.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 21 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 0.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 7.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other extraction workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.7 hires for every 10 job openings in mining and logging, which employs about 94% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.8.7 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $67,400 | $50,790 to $91,810 | 40 |
| Alaska | $85,470 | $77,640 to $107,870 | 130 |
| Arizona | $62,920 | $35,980 to $99,920 | 30 |
| Arkansas | $37,700 | $37,430 to $48,600 | 70 |
| California | $65,520 | $59,380 to $102,240 | 460 |
| Colorado | $79,830 | $69,120 to $86,780 | 110 |
| Florida | $61,970 | $59,900 to $63,520 | 180 |
| Kansas | $60,600 | $33,900 to $77,380 | 130 |
| Kentucky | $38,520 | $37,060 to $42,670 | 30 |
| Louisiana | $49,410 | $44,170 to $70,180 | 910 |
| Michigan | $54,020 | $45,160 to $75,690 | 70 |
| Mississippi | $67,290 | $45,900 to $67,590 | 130 |
| Nebraska | $79,140 | $57,020 to $86,390 | 40 |
| New Mexico | $82,780 | $62,730 to $91,390 | 580 |
| New York | $67,000 | $57,610 to $81,710 | 50 |
| North Carolina | $57,760 | $36,680 to $60,990 | 50 |
| North Dakota | $71,280 | $60,310 to $101,490 | 230 |
| Ohio | $63,600 | $49,000 to $73,430 | 290 |
| Oklahoma | $55,160 | $50,200 to $75,730 | 1,700 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,780 | $61,530 to $74,900 | 390 |
| Tennessee | $58,780 | $52,700 to $69,310 | 40 |
| Texas | $77,840 | $60,770 to $86,630 | 5,980 |
| Utah | $70,400 | $59,120 to $74,670 | not published |
| Virginia | $61,410 | $55,830 to $63,570 | 110 |
| West Virginia | $57,020 | $47,840 to $60,450 | 240 |
| Wyoming | $61,000 | $48,670 to $96,400 | 200 |
Nationally: $67,890. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 21 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain and adjust machinery to ensure proper performance. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain records of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, materials and tools used, services rendered, and time required. | Not published |
| Not much | Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs. | Not published |
| Not much | Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe pressure gauge and move throttles and levers to control the speed of rotary tables, and to regulate pressure of tools at bottoms of boreholes. | Not published |
See all 21 tasks
| Not much | Locate and recover lost or broken bits, casings, and drill pipes from wells, using special tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair or replace defective parts of machinery, such as rotary drill rigs, water trucks, air compressors, and pumps, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct rig crews in drilling and other activities, such as setting up rigs and completing or servicing wells. | Not published |
| Not much | Push levers and brake pedals to control gasoline, diesel, electric, or steam draw works that lower and raise drill pipes and casings in and out of wells. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and oil pulleys, blocks, and cables. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor progress of drilling operations, and select and change drill bits according to the nature of strata, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Start and examine operation of slush pumps to ensure circulation and consistency of drilling fluid or mud in well. | Not published |
| Not much | Bolt together pump and engine parts, and connect tanks and flow lines. | Not published |
| Not much | Weigh clay, and mix with water and chemicals to make drilling mud. | Not published |
| Not much | Line drilled holes with pipes, and install all necessary hardware, to prepare new wells. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove core samples during drilling to determine the nature of the strata being drilled. | Not published |
| Not much | Cap wells with packers, or turn valves, to regulate outflow of oil from wells. | Not published |
| Not much | Plug observation wells, and restore sites. | Not published |
| Not much | Position and prepare truck-mounted derricks at drilling areas specified on field maps. | Not published |
| Not much | Lower and explode charges in boreholes to start flow of oil from wells. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 21 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 21 tasks fall under 21 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Operate construction or excavation equipment | |||
| Position tools or equipment | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Operate lifting or moving equipment | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Set up equipment | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions |
Show all 21 activities
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Assess characteristics of land or property | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Assemble equipment or components | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Install commercial or production equipment | |||
| Install plumbing or piping equipment or systems | |||
| Collect environmental or biological samples | |||
| Operate pumping systems or equipment | |||
| Direct construction or extraction activities |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for rotary drill operators, oil and gas specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 3,645 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 21%
- 2 Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 3 Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Low -9.5% 7%
- 4 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 5%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 1,856 moves in
- 1 Roustabouts, Oil and Gas Low +3.6% 9%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 3 Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 4 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 6%
- 5 Hoist and Winch Operators Low +0.2% 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 31% less than high school
- 29% high school
- 9% postsecondary certificate
- 22% some college
- 9% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 23 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 19% less than high school
- 50% high school
- 19% some college
- 5% associate's
- 6% bachelor's
- 1% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other extraction workers” · 526 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other extraction workers”
1 program: Well Drilling/Driller.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (PROSPECTING DRILLER (Petro)). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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