SOC 47-5012 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas — Utah
Utah
At $70,400, median pay for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas in Utah tracks the national median of $67,890 closely.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow more slowly than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +0.2%
- Openings per year
- 1,200
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- Related work experience
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Utah.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
At $70,400, median pay for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas in Utah tracks the national median of $67,890 closely. Pay ranges from under $49,440 at the tenth percentile to more than $103,460 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $59,120 to $74,670.
Utah ranks number 7th out of 26 states by median pay for this occupation. Of the 695 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 238th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $49,440 | −27.2% |
| 25th | $59,120 | −12.9% |
| Median (50th) | $70,400 | +3.7% |
| 75th | $74,670 | +10.0% |
| 90th | $103,460 | +52.4% |
| Mean | $69,480 | +2.3% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Utah sit close to the national average, so $70,400 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.
Published median
$70,400as reported by BLSLocal price level
98.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$71,183US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $70,400 a year, 3.7% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $49,440 to $103,460 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- It ranks 7th of 26 states for this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas in Utah?
The median annual wage is $70,400, or $33.85 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $67,890, so pay in Utah is 3.7% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Utah earns more than $103,460 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $49,440 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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