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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

47-5021 Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas

Operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap sub-surface 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. May use explosives. Includes horizontal and earth boring machine operators.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
18,270 4.2 % $22.87 $47,570 1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $14.81 $17.29 $21.36 $27.03 $33.62
Annual Wage (2) $30,810 $35,960 $44,430 $56,230 $69,940


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Utility System Construction 9,210 1.73 $22.25 $46,280
Support Activities for Mining 2,580 0.80 $22.96 $47,770
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 1,980 0.29 $23.99 $49,890
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 1,310 0.09 $21.25 $44,190
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 630 0.63 $21.39 $44,500

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Utility System Construction 9,210 1.73 $22.25 $46,280
Metal Ore Mining 370 0.92 $24.97 $51,930
Support Activities for Mining 2,580 0.80 $22.96 $47,770
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 630 0.63 $21.39 $44,500
Coal Mining 170 0.33 $21.56 $44,840

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors 60 0.01 $51.51 $107,140
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 60 (7) $33.79 $70,280
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 170 0.05 $28.60 $59,480
Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (8) (8) $26.97 $56,090
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) 70 0.02 $26.79 $55,720


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 2,190 0.13 1.02 $26.96 $56,080
Texas 2,130 0.18 1.39 $18.92 $39,360
Florida 1,250 0.15 1.15 $18.92 $39,360
Pennsylvania 780 0.13 1.05 $20.56 $42,770
Michigan 740 0.17 1.36 $19.18 $39,890




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada 650 0.48 3.82 $27.84 $57,910
Alaska 130 0.42 3.29 $27.98 $58,210
Wyoming 110 0.41 3.21 $23.96 $49,830
Nebraska 400 0.41 3.24 $20.07 $41,740
Utah 340 0.23 1.86 $22.20 $46,170




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 540 0.06 0.46 $32.20 $66,980
Massachusetts 170 0.05 0.37 $29.64 $61,640
New Jersey 640 0.16 1.26 $29.14 $60,610
Vermont 70 0.22 1.72 $28.67 $59,620
Alaska 130 0.42 3.29 $27.98 $58,210





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 650 0.07 0.54 $32.71 $68,040
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 650 0.11 0.84 $25.36 $52,760
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 500 0.34 2.67 $27.35 $56,890
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 410 0.12 0.91 $19.88 $41,350
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 400 0.19 1.54 $25.72 $53,490
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 380 0.28 2.20 $22.04 $45,850
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 300 0.12 0.93 $19.51 $40,580
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 270 0.27 2.11 $21.28 $44,270
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 240 0.19 1.49 $19.17 $39,880
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 230 0.08 0.64 $26.04 $54,160




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Madera, CA 60 1.25 9.90 $21.18 $44,040
College Station-Bryan, TX 100 0.84 6.66 $15.29 $31,800
Winchester, VA-WV 40 0.61 4.86 $19.76 $41,100
Salem, OR 100 0.57 4.49 $25.93 $53,940
Duluth, MN-WI 70 0.55 4.34 $25.11 $52,220
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 70 0.54 4.31 $18.48 $38,430
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 70 0.54 4.26 (8) (8)
Idaho Falls, ID 30 0.48 3.77 $32.77 $68,160
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA 180 0.36 2.87 $20.04 $41,690
Salisbury, MD-DE 60 0.35 2.77 $22.62 $47,040




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Idaho Falls, ID 30 0.48 3.77 $32.77 $68,160
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 650 0.07 0.54 $32.71 $68,040
Evansville, IN-KY (8) (8) (8) $32.30 $67,180
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 150 0.06 0.48 $31.90 $66,360
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA (8) (8) (8) $29.73 $61,840
Santa Rosa, CA 40 0.18 1.45 $29.49 $61,340
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 70 0.01 0.11 $29.21 $60,760
Dayton, OH (8) (8) (8) $28.68 $59,640
Kansas City, MO-KS (8) (8) (8) $28.59 $59,470
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 120 0.12 0.94 $28.44 $59,160

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 510 5.28 41.84 $28.22 $58,700
South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 160 1.07 8.47 $19.79 $41,160
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 110 0.41 3.24 $14.65 $30,470
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 110 0.57 4.53 $20.74 $43,130
Northern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 90 0.57 4.51 $18.13 $37,700

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 510 5.28 41.84 $28.22 $58,700
South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 160 1.07 8.47 $19.79 $41,160
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 80 0.79 6.27 $27.59 $57,380
Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 60 0.77 6.09 $19.02 $39,560
Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 80 0.73 5.81 $20.02 $41,640

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $30.70 $63,860
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 510 5.28 41.84 $28.22 $58,700
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 80 0.79 6.27 $27.59 $57,380
Kansas nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $27.47 $57,140
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area 30 0.41 3.28 $27.10 $56,360


About May 2018 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019