Drilling Engineer Salary in La Junta, CO

How much does a Drilling Engineer make in La Junta, CO?

As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for a Drilling Engineer in La Junta, CO is $146,858 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $71.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $166,860
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $136,818 to $157,328
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $127,678
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View as table View as graph 25% $136,818 10% $127,678 90% $166,860 75% $157,328 $146,858 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Drilling Engineer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $157,328 $13,111 $3,026 $76
Average $146,858 $12,238 $2,824 $71
25th Percentile $136,818 $11,402 $2,631 $66
Check out Drilling Engineer Job Openings in La Junta, CO
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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, skills 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): $107,520
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $126,361
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $144,676
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $181,016
  • Expert (over 8 years): $114,023
Levels Salary
Network E... Level Drilling Engineer$107,520
Network E... Level Drilling Engineer$126,361
Drilling ... Level Drilling Engineer$144,676
Network E... Level Drilling Engineer$181,016
Network E... Level Drilling Engineer$114,023
$107,520 0 yr
$126,361 < 2 yrs
$144,676 2-4 yrs
$181,016 5-8 yrs
$114,023 > 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: $190,809
  • San Francisco: $188,720
  • Oakland: $184,743

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
$152,732
4%
Coordination
$152,732
4%
Network Engineering
$152,732
4%
Network Management
$152,732
4%
Program Management
$152,732
4%
Innovation
$151,264
3%
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Drilling Engineer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Drilling Engineer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Aerospace & Defense and Financial Services sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average. In contrast, Drilling Engineer positions in Retail & Wholesale or MFG Durable typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Drilling Engineer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Drilling Engineer

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Aerospace & Defense$176,230$85.020%
Financial Services$176,230$85.020%
Pharmaceuticals$176,230$85.020%
Software & Networking$176,230$85.020%
Telecom$176,230$85.020%

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 August 01, 2026

Find Your Next Drilling Engineer Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Drilling Engineer job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
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    La Junta, CO

    Confidential | La Junta, CO

    Chief Financial Officer (CFO). About the Company. Mission-driven organization providing management & consulting services to community hospitals. Industry. ... more

    6 Days Ago

  • WOCS - Wendy's

    La Junta, CO

    WOCS - Wendy's | La Junta, CO

    Job Description. Job Description. Families come in all shapes and sizes and that’s exactly what we have in our Wendy’s family. Our culture comes from key p... more

    6 Days Ago

  • Inspiration Field

    La Junta, CO

    Inspiration Field | La Junta, CO

    Job Description. Job Description. Inspiration Field. Job Description. Position Title: Transportation Specialist. Department: Adult Services. Reports To: Ad... more

    6 Days Ago

  • Cetechs

    La Junta, CO

    Cetechs | La Junta, CO

    Medical Support Assistant (MSA). Company: Cetechs, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Position: Medical Support Assistant (MSA) Job T... more

    7 Days Ago

  • Attentive Autism Care

    La Junta, CO

    Attentive Autism Care | La Junta, CO

    Job Description. Job Description. Job Type. Part-time. Pay. $25.00 - $32.00 per hour. Benefits. Flexible schedule. Referral program. Work Location. In pers... more

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    La Junta, CO

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    Job Description. Job Description. Are you a reliable and compassionate Care Specialist (Caregiver) living in Southern Colorado (Rocky Ford / La Junta). Wou... more

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