---

Roustabouts, Oil and Gas: Career Profile

Assemble or repair oil field equipment using hand and power tools. Perform other tasks as needed.

What Do Roustabouts, Oil and Gas Do?

Typical responsibilities of roustabouts, oil and gas include:

• Unscrew or tighten pipes, casing, tubing, and pump rods, using hand and power wrenches and tongs.
• Dismantle and repair oil field machinery, boilers, and steam engine parts, using hand tools and power tools.
• Guide cranes to move loads about decks.
• Walk flow lines to locate leaks, using electronic detectors and by making visual inspections, and repair the leaks.
• Lay gas and oil pipelines.
• Bolt together pump and engine parts.
• Move pipes to and from trucks, using truck winches and motorized lifts, or by hand.
• Clean trucks used in the fields.

Skills and Knowledge

Top roustabouts, oil and gas draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Key Skills

The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Core Knowledge

Related Job Titles

Common job titles for this role include:

• Casing Crew Pusher
• Cathead Operator
• Connection Worker
• Derrick Hand
• Drill Rig Operator
• Dumper Bailer Operator
• Equipment Operator
• Field Service Engineer

Job Outlook

There are about 386,813 roustabouts, oil and gas working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +1.2% over the projection horizon.

How Much Do Roustabouts, Oil and Gas Make?

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$47,803
Hourly median	$22.98
10th percentile	$34,337
25th percentile	$41,070
75th percentile	$54,536
90th percentile	$61,268

Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.

How Much Do Roustabouts, Oil and Gas Make in Different U.S. States?

State	Annual median salary
Alaska	$63,230
North Dakota	$60,140
Montana	$58,690
California	$56,690
Florida	$56,160
Ohio	$55,450
West Virginia	$51,490
Nebraska	$49,500
South Dakota	$49,380
Indiana	$49,330
Pennsylvania	$49,210
Kansas	$48,680
Michigan	$48,650
New Mexico	$48,570
Colorado	$48,350
Utah	$47,680
Wyoming	$47,020
Oklahoma	$46,350
Texas	$46,180
Arkansas	$45,050
Mississippi	$44,930
Alabama	$44,670
Louisiana	$44,390
Illinois	$43,690
Kentucky	$36,950

Top-Paying U.S. Regions

Earnings for roustabouts, oil and gas shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:

Region	Median annual wage	Share of U.S. jobs	Location quotient
Far Western US	$60,331	2.0%	2.92
Plains States	$57,599	7.7%	17.12
Great Lakes	$50,467	3.2%	0.29
Middle Atlantic	$49,210	3.6%	0.91
Rocky Mountains	$48,049	8.6%	8.74
Southwest	$46,460	67.2%	6.68
Southeast	$45,139	7.9%	3.56

Top Metro Areas

Metro area	State	Median annual wage	Employment
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	MI	$67,430	30
Columbus, OH	OH	$65,330	90
Anchorage, AK	AK	$57,620	140
Bakersfield-Delano, CA	CA	$56,630	220
Tyler, TX	TX	$53,030	240
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO	CO	$51,740	40
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA	LA	$50,590	430
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	TX	$49,590	5,690

Top Industries Employing Roustabouts, Oil and Gas

The bulk of roustabouts, oil and gas work in these industries:

Industry	Employment	Median annual wage
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	40,090	$47,640
Construction	1,970	$42,150
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	750	$39,760
Manufacturing	520	$46,020
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	410	$52,000
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	400	$34,830
Other Services (except Public Administration)	360	$48,550
Utilities	330	$73,480

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Tech Stack

• Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
• Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
• Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
• Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software (hot technology)

What the Workplace Is Like

Daily working conditions for roustabouts, oil and gas reflects the following characteristics:

• Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
• Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
• Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures

How to Become Roustabouts, Oil and Gas

Entry-level roustabouts, oil and gas positions require less than a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

• Construction Laborers (Primary-Long)
• Pile Driver Operators (Supplemental)
• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (Primary-Long)
• Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (Supplemental)
• Helpers–Electricians (Supplemental)
• Helpers–Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (Supplemental)
• Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas (Primary-Long)
• Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas (Primary-Short)

Sources

Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 47-5071.00 (Roustabouts, Oil and Gas).