Well drill operator vs rotary operator

The differences between well drill operators and rotary operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a well drill operator, becoming a rotary operator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a well drill operator has an average salary of $38,256, which is higher than the $35,754 average annual salary of a rotary operator.

The top three skills for a well drill operator include rig, environmental agencies and plungers. The most important skills for a rotary operator are customer specifications, RAN, and computer system.

Well drill operator vs rotary operator overview

	Well Drill Operator	Rotary Operator
Yearly salary	$38,256	$35,754
Hourly rate	$18.39	$17.19
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	30,260	29,864
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 38%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	38	40
Years of experience	2	4

Well drill operator vs rotary operator salary

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

	Well Drill Operator	Rotary Operator
Average salary	$38,256	$35,754
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $54,000	Between $26,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between well drill operator and rotary operator education

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

	Well Drill Operator	Rotary Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 38%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Well drill operator vs rotary operator demographics

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

	Well Drill Operator	Rotary Operator
Average age	38	40
Gender ratio	Male, 92.5% Female, 7.5%	Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9%
Race ratio	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%	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	3%	2%

Differences between well drill operator and rotary operator duties and responsibilities

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.

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.

Well drill operator vs rotary operator skills

Common well drill operator skills

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

Common rotary operator skills

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

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Updated January 8, 2025

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