Driller vs well drill operator

The differences between drillers and well drill operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a driller, becoming a well drill operator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a driller has an average salary of $49,896, which is higher than the $38,256 average annual salary of a well drill operator.

The top three skills for a driller include CDL, preventative maintenance and safety policies. The most important skills for a well drill operator are rig, environmental agencies, and plungers.

Driller vs well drill operator overview

	Driller	Well Drill Operator
Yearly salary	$49,896	$38,256
Hourly rate	$23.99	$18.39
Growth rate	-	7%
Number of jobs	1,593	30,260
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 61%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	40	38
Years of experience	4	2

Driller vs well drill operator salary

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

	Driller	Well Drill Operator
Average salary	$49,896	$38,256
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $63,000	Between $26,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Nabors Industries	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between driller and well drill operator education

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

	Driller	Well Drill Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 61%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Driller vs well drill operator demographics

Here are the differences between drillers' and well drill operators' demographics:

	Driller	Well Drill Operator
Average age	40	38
Gender ratio	Male, 97.0% Female, 3.0%	Male, 92.5% Female, 7.5%
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, 5.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 0.8% White, 74.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	2%	3%

Differences between driller and well drill 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.

Well drill operator example responsibilities.

Maintain fluid weights by careful mixing of chemicals using PPE and careful mathematical calculations in collaboration with engineers.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.

Driller vs well drill operator skills

Common driller skills

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

Common well drill operator skills

Rig, 33%
Environmental Agencies, 24%
Plungers, 11%
CDL, 10%
RAN, 7%
Water Flow, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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