Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas pay in the U.S.
$62,830avg. a year
$30.21 an hour · 19,450 employed
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas in the U.S. earn an average of $62,830 a year and a median of $60,190. Pay is highest in New Jersey ($82,890) and lowest in Maine ($49,030).
$60,190Median pay
$30.21Average hourly
+17%Avg. pay since 2021
19,450Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for earth drillers, except oil and gas
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1400 jobs
New Jersey
$82,890
$39.85 an hour
2330 jobs
Illinois
$81,990
$39.42 an hour
3210 jobs
Washington
$81,380
$39.13 an hour
4290 jobs
Alaska
$77,300
$37.16 an hour
5180 jobs
Montana
$72,910
$35.05 an hour
61,630 jobs
California
$69,450
$33.39 an hour
7280 jobs
Wisconsin
$69,410
$33.37 an hour
880 jobs
New Hampshire
$69,120
$33.23 an hour
9120 jobs
South Carolina
$68,660
$33.01 an hour
10280 jobs
Colorado
$68,280
$32.83 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $58k$58k–$63k$63k–$68k$68k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $85,130 | $40.93 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $78,770 | $37.87 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $76,580 | $36.82 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $73,150 | $35.17 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $71,360 | $34.31 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $70,420 | $33.86 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $68,580 | $32.97 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $67,690 | $32.54 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $51,640 | $46,440 | 170 |
| Alaska | $77,300 | $80,040 | 290 |
| Arizona | $62,940 | $58,870 | 850 |
| Arkansas | $50,910 | $46,160 | 110 |
| California | $69,450 | $66,910 | 1,630 |
| Colorado | $68,280 | $64,820 | 280 |
| Connecticut | $65,650 | $65,710 | 140 |
| Delaware | $58,970 | $57,160 | – |
| Florida | $54,060 | $55,320 | 1,630 |
| Georgia | $54,630 | $50,030 | 870 |
| Idaho | $57,690 | $54,830 | 450 |
| Illinois | $81,990 | $79,080 | 330 |
| Indiana | $64,650 | $62,750 | 440 |
| Iowa | $55,690 | $54,000 | 190 |
| Kansas | $63,170 | $65,600 | 80 |
| Kentucky | $57,890 | $56,160 | 80 |
| Louisiana | $57,680 | $55,690 | 190 |
| Maine | $49,030 | $45,560 | 70 |
| Maryland | $61,960 | $61,260 | 120 |
| Massachusetts | $67,750 | $64,180 | 130 |
| Michigan | $65,160 | $62,570 | 850 |
| Minnesota | $65,600 | $63,790 | 340 |
| Mississippi | $63,980 | $60,680 | 250 |
| Missouri | $53,250 | $51,530 | 370 |
| Montana | $72,910 | $71,470 | 180 |
| Nebraska | $57,880 | $60,200 | 210 |
| Nevada | $60,530 | $61,030 | 1,350 |
| New Hampshire | $69,120 | $66,410 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $82,890 | $77,950 | 400 |
| New Mexico | $62,580 | $60,140 | 100 |
| New York | $67,900 | $60,860 | 670 |
| North Carolina | $60,270 | $57,300 | 290 |
| North Dakota | $66,840 | $62,570 | 110 |
| Ohio | $66,530 | $61,010 | 390 |
| Oklahoma | $60,490 | $54,180 | 250 |
| Oregon | $67,020 | $64,920 | 510 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,520 | $57,400 | 730 |
| South Carolina | $68,660 | $61,500 | 120 |
| South Dakota | $57,860 | $57,160 | 80 |
| Tennessee | $59,600 | $58,670 | 450 |
| Texas | $60,000 | $58,700 | 1,930 |
| Utah | $60,730 | $60,490 | 310 |
| Vermont | $67,350 | $61,420 | 70 |
| Virginia | $58,090 | $55,470 | 440 |
| Washington | $81,380 | $80,490 | 210 |
| West Virginia | $55,270 | $55,540 | 240 |
| Wisconsin | $69,410 | $68,320 | 280 |
| Wyoming | $61,980 | $64,450 | 90 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
$62,790
650 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$76,580
530 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$59,100
440 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$61,540
420 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$56,550
390 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$52,380
350 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$67,690
240 jobsRiverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
$67,480
240 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do earth drillers, except oil and gas make?
The average is $62,830 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $60,190 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $30.21, and the median is $28.94 an hour.
Which state pays earth drillers, except oil and gas the most?
New Jersey, with an average of $82,890 a year. The best-paying metro area is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN at $85,130.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $44,460 a year, and the top 10% earn over $83,800.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2021–May 2025), occupation code 47-5023. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.