Driller vs rotary driller

The differences between drillers and rotary drillers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a driller and a rotary driller. Additionally, a rotary driller has an average salary of $52,810, which is higher than the $49,896 average annual salary of a driller.

The top three skills for a driller include CDL, preventative maintenance and safety policies. The most important skills for a rotary driller are rig, , and .

Driller vs rotary driller overview

	Driller	Rotary Driller
Yearly salary	$49,896	$52,810
Hourly rate	$23.99	$25.39
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	1,593	1,061
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Driller vs rotary driller salary

Drillers and rotary drillers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Driller	Rotary Driller
Average salary	$49,896	$52,810
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $63,000	Between $34,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Nabors Industries	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between driller and rotary driller education

There are a few differences between a driller and a rotary driller in terms of educational background:

	Driller	Rotary Driller
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Business	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	-	-

Driller vs rotary driller demographics

Here are the differences between drillers' and rotary drillers' demographics:

	Driller	Rotary Driller
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 97.0% Female, 3.0%	Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 1.2% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 1.2% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.3%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between driller and rotary driller duties and responsibilities

Driller example responsibilities.

Manage and perform rig operations, repair large mud pump motors, hoppers, shakers, generators, valves and agitators.
Perform data analysis and provide recommendations to achieve improve performance and accelerate commercialization of Pathmaker (RSS).
Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and power wrenches and tongs.
Assist in the drilling of oil and gas wells as a floor hand operating pipe spinners, tongs, and slips.
School, forklift, and CPR train
Clean and oil pulleys, blocks, and cables.

Rotary driller example responsibilities.

Provide leadership and guidance to direct reports, and manage their efforts to maximize their contribution to operational effectiveness and performance.
Inspect derricks and order their inspection prior to being raise and lower.
Operate portable drilling rig (machine and relate equipment) to drill wells.
Record daily drilling activities accurately in IADC reports while keeping accurate component tally.
Move levers to control power-driven winch that raises and extends telescoping derrick.
Install pvc pipes into holes and making sure that the holes remain clean and free from debris.

Driller vs rotary driller skills

Common driller skills

CDL, 26%
Preventative Maintenance, 18%
Safety Policies, 14%
Geotechnical, 10%
Well Control, 3%
CPR, 2%

Common rotary driller skills

Rig, 100%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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