occupation · 47-5023 · detailed
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas — wages and employment
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas earned a median annual wage of $59,600 in the United States in May 2024, with 17,410 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas earned a median annual wage of $59,600 in the United States in May 2024, with 17,410 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $44,450 or less, the best-paid tenth $87,760 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $56,660 to $59,600, +5.2 %. The best-paying state is Massachusetts at $80,780; the lowest West Virginia at $46,920. Among metropolitan areas, Fairbanks-College, AK pays the highest median, $92,240. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 17,410 | $59,600 | $63,260 | $44,450 | $49,720 | $73,530 | $87,760 | $28.65 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 18,010 | $56,660 | $60,250 | $40,560 | $47,840 | $67,700 | $82,280 | $27.24 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $80,780 | 160 |
| Illinois | $79,860 | 410 |
| New Jersey | $78,340 | 390 |
| Alaska | $76,080 | 170 |
| Washington | $74,570 | 280 |
| New York | $74,150 | 580 |
| Nevada | $70,340 | 670 |
| Delaware | $68,070 | 40 |
| Wisconsin | $67,030 | 210 |
| Colorado | $66,500 | 310 |
| Minnesota | $65,960 | 280 |
| Vermont | $64,980 | 60 |
| New Hampshire | $64,800 | 70 |
| Oregon | $64,390 | 350 |
| Montana | $62,920 | 200 |
| Wyoming | $62,740 | 70 |
| California | $62,280 | 1,400 |
| Arizona | $61,640 | 680 |
| Virginia | $61,290 | 430 |
| Louisiana | $61,170 | 400 |
| Connecticut | $61,050 | 220 |
| Alabama | $60,440 | 120 |
| Indiana | $59,830 | 380 |
| Maryland | $59,780 | 180 |
| Michigan | $57,930 | 780 |
| Utah | $57,850 | 500 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,770 | 820 |
| South Dakota | $57,600 | 150 |
| Iowa | $57,570 | 140 |
| Mississippi | $57,450 | 190 |
| North Dakota | $56,840 | 100 |
| Arkansas | $56,630 | 110 |
| Kansas | $56,340 | 210 |
| South Carolina | $56,140 | 150 |
| North Carolina | $56,100 | 390 |
| Kentucky | $55,430 | 140 |
| Maine | $54,970 | 120 |
| Ohio | $54,460 | 400 |
| New Mexico | $54,060 | 170 |
| Texas | $53,850 | 1,230 |
| Georgia | $53,780 | 530 |
| Florida | $52,720 | 1,150 |
| Idaho | $50,330 | 660 |
| Tennessee | $50,160 | 470 |
| Missouri | $50,070 | 440 |
| Nebraska | $49,460 | 150 |
| Oklahoma | $48,980 | 200 |
| West Virginia | $46,920 | 140 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks-College, AK | $92,240 | 50 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $84,110 | 100 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $80,030 | 260 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $79,050 | 120 |
| Billings, MT | $78,350 | 60 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $78,340 | 550 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $74,570 | 140 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $74,290 | 40 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $73,160 | 130 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $72,290 | 50 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $71,200 | 110 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $68,920 | 190 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $68,100 | 150 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $67,780 | 40 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $66,700 | 160 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $66,500 | 70 |
| Richmond, VA | $66,180 | 50 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $65,160 | 50 |
| Birmingham, AL | $64,800 | 50 |
| Salem, OR | $64,050 | 90 |
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