Drilling Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does a Drilling Engineer make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Drilling Engineer in the United States is $151,224 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $73.

However, a Drilling Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $171,662
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $140,926 to $161,922
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $131,550
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View as table View as graph 25% $140,926 10% $131,550 90% $171,662 75% $161,922 $151,224 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Drilling Engineer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $161,922 $13,494 $3,114 $78
Average $151,224 $12,602 $2,908 $73
25th Percentile $140,926 $11,744 $2,710 $68
Check out Drilling Engineer Job Openings in the United States
RC Driller

FTE Drilling - WINNEMUCCA, NV

Senior Project Engineer

King Industries, Inc. - NORWALK, CT

Presentation Engineer

Northern Canal Medical Center - STORDEN, MN

ServiceNow Engineer

University of Washington - SEATTLE, WA

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Key Factors That Influence Drilling Engineer Salaries

A Drilling Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Drilling Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Drilling Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $144,549
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $145,373
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $146,196
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $147,349
  • Expert (over 8 years): $149,739
Levels Salary
Entry Level Drilling Engineer$144,549
Intermediate Level Drilling Engineer$145,373
Senior Level Drilling Engineer$146,196
Specialist Level Drilling Engineer$147,349
Expert Level Drilling Engineer$149,739
$144,549 0 yr
$145,373 < 2 yrs
$146,196 2-4 yrs
$147,349 5-8 yrs
$149,739 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Drilling Engineers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $190,739
  • San Francisco: $188,864
  • Oakland: $184,675

What Skills Can Increase a Drilling Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Networking (Mentioned in 9% Job Postings): Ability to maintain, build and expand a personal and business contact list to grow one's career and business opportunities.
  • Network Infrastructure (Mentioned in 2.75% Job Postings): Refers to all of the resources of a network that make network or internet connectivity, management, business operations and communication possible.
  • Network Engineering (Mentioned in 2.26% Job Postings): A computer network is a digital telecommunications network which allows nodes to share resources. In computer networks, computing devices exchange data with each other using connections (data links) between nodes. These data links are established over cable media such as wires or optic cables, or wireless media such as Wi-Fi. Network computer devices that originate, route and terminate the data are called network nodes. Nodes are generally identified by network addresses, and can include hosts such as personal computers, phones, and servers, as well as networking hardware such as routers and switches. Two such devices can be said to be networked together when one device is able to exchange information with the other device, whether or not they have a direct connection to each other. In most cases, application-specific communications protocols are layered (i.e. carried as payload) over other more general communications protocols. This formidable collection of information technology requires skilled network management to keep it all running reliably.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Networking 9%
Network Infrastructure 2.75%
Network Engineering 2.26%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Drilling Engineer's salary.
  • Decision Making: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
  • Coordination: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
  • Network Engineering: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Decision Making
$157,273
4%
Coordination
$157,273
4%
Network Engineering
$157,273
4%
Network Management
$157,273
4%
Program Management
$157,273
4%
Innovation
$155,761
3%
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How Education impacts a Drilling Engineer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Drilling Engineers enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Drilling Engineer with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $138,031 and $144,546).

Drilling Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Drilling Engineer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 2.2%
High School 22.7%
Associates 9.5%
Bachelors 45.4%
Masters 19.8%
Doctorate 0.4%
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Drilling Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Drilling Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Drilling Engineer

Salaries for a Drilling Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $121,577 in 2023 to around $117,121 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Drilling Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Drilling Engineer Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$121,577
2024
$119,148
2025
$117,121
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $121,577
2024 $119,148
2025 $117,121
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Drilling Engineer

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Drilling Engineer

Here are companies hiring for Drilling Engineer and their salaries, click below for more details.

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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