SALARY DATA — SOC 47-5023
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
47-0000 Construction and Extraction Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas is 1.88× — the national median is $60,190 but top decile earns $83,800. The spread exists; it's concentrated in geography, specialization, and industry sector. Knowing which end of the band you're on is the whole negotiation.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 19,450.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $44,460 | -26% | ~$21 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $49,900 | -17% | ~$24 |
| Median — 50th pct | $60,190 | — | $28.94/hr |
| Mean — average | $62,830 | +4% | $30.21/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $72,450 | +20% | ~$35 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $83,800 | +39% | ~$40 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas in 79 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 650 | $58,750 | $49,920 | $76,160 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 530 | $74,120 | $57,860 | $101,430 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 440 | $57,970 | $40,410 | $80,170 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 420 | $60,670 | $38,650 | $82,860 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 390 | $51,630 | $39,880 | $77,330 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 350 | $51,360 | $37,440 | $61,940 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 240 | $64,360 | $47,510 | $106,400 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 240 | $62,790 | $46,690 | $94,230 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 230 | $55,610 | $44,270 | $62,560 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 220 | $81,960 | $64,020 | $107,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 19 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility System Construction | 237100 | 8,560 | $61,260 |
| Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 238900 | 3,150 | $58,370 |
| Support Activities for Mining | 213100 | 2,440 | $59,790 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 541300 | 1,520 | $56,160 |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying | 212300 | 780 | $59,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: Philadelphia ranks #10 of 40 on the paycheck and #19 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $81,960 | 100.5 | $81,542 | +1 |
| Seattle | $89,300 | 111.1 | $80,354 | -1 |
| Portland | $73,560 | 100.1 | $73,478 | +3 |
| San Francisco | $76,850 | 106.2 | $72,374 | -1 |
| Sacramento | $71,790 | 100.3 | $71,598 | +3 |
| Minneapolis | $74,300 | 104.4 | $71,173 | -2 |
| Boston | $73,090 | 103.6 | $70,523 | — |
| Cleveland | $64,260 | 93.9 | $68,418 | +3 |
| Hartford | $67,530 | 100.8 | $66,964 | — |
| New York | $74,120 | 112.6 | $65,848 | -5 |
Top 10 of 40 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Kansas City gains 8 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas to move from 19,500 to 20,200 over 2025–2035 — +3.6% , with about 1,400 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related experience.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas?
- The median annual salary for Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas is $60,190, and the mean is $62,830 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas?
- Most Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas earn between $44,460 and $83,800 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 1.88× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 1.88 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD ranks #10 by nominal pay but #19 of 40 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas employment to grow 3.6% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 1,400 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 19,450 workers in Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Construction and Extraction Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators $59,850
- Carpenters $60,580
- Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters $61,390
- Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers $58,970
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers $58,930
- Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas $58,620
- Sheet Metal Workers $61,800
- Continuous Mining Machine Operators $61,810
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas (SOC 47-5023): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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