Driller vs rotary operator

The differences between drillers and rotary operators 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 operator. Additionally, a driller has an average salary of $49,896, which is higher than the $35,754 average annual salary of a rotary operator.

The top three skills for a driller include CDL, preventative maintenance and safety policies. The most important skills for a rotary operator are customer specifications, RAN, and computer system.

Driller vs rotary operator overview

	Driller	Rotary Operator
Yearly salary	$49,896	$35,754
Hourly rate	$23.99	$17.19
Growth rate	-	7%
Number of jobs	1,593	29,864
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 61%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Driller vs rotary operator salary

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

	Driller	Rotary Operator
Average salary	$49,896	$35,754
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $63,000	Between $26,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Nabors Industries	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between driller and rotary operator education

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

	Driller	Rotary Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 61%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Driller vs rotary operator demographics

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

	Driller	Rotary Operator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 97.0% Female, 3.0%	Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9%
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, 9.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 1.2% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between driller and rotary operator 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 operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Set up press and run jobs.
work on shipping dock & warehouse run oven in rotary mix all ingedents for making of dog food & treats
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Manufacture ammunition from components using a power loading machine.

Driller vs rotary operator skills

Common driller skills

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

Common rotary operator skills

Customer Specifications, 70%
RAN, 18%
Computer System, 12%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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