Roustabouts, Oil and Gas Salary: $57,698 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 45,330 roustabouts, oil and gas nationally earn a mean of $57,698. Employment in the series shown fell about 49% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 14.0% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Roustabouts, Oil and Gas: what the data shows
Common questions about roustabouts, oil and gas careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a roustabouts, oil and gas?
Roustabouts, Oil and Gas is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 47-5071.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 45,330 workers.
What does a roustabouts, oil and gas do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, Performing General Physical Activities, Getting Information, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a roustabouts, oil and gas make?
BLS national median annual wage: $47,510 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $57,698 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $41,145 |
| 25th percentile | $52,530 |
| Median (50th) | $58,356 |
| 75th percentile | $61,177 |
| 90th percentile | $70,194 |
What education do you need?
For Roustabouts, Oil and Gas, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making, Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, Customer and Personal Service, Production and Processing, Transportation. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is roustabouts, oil and gas in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 14.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -52.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -77.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 45,330.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do roustabouts, oil and gass work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 45,330 | 20.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 45,330 | 20.2% |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 40,090 | 17.9% |
| Support Activities for Mining | 35,070 | 15.6% |
| Support Activities for Mining | 35,070 | 15.6% |
| Oil and Gas Extraction | 4,940 | 2.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Roustabouts, Oil and Gas workforce.
Employment Over Time
45,330 Workforce in 2023
The Roustabouts, Oil and Gas workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$57,698 Average Wage
In 2023, Roustabouts, Oil and Gas earned an average of $57,698.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Salary distribution for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Employment Growth Projections
-14.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
593 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -52.9%
279 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -77.8%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Roustabouts, Oil and Gas and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Roustabouts, Oil and Gas employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Wage Trends by Industry
-13.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: -13.5% growth (Current: $60,662)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 23,800 employees, $47,160 avg wage
- NM: 3,320 employees, $50,950 avg wage
- OK: 3,080 employees, $46,470 avg wage
- ND: 2,690 employees, $58,690 avg wage
- LA: 2,580 employees, $47,050 avg wage
- CO: 1,690 employees, $50,240 avg wage
- PA: 1,600 employees, $52,790 avg wage
- WY: 1,560 employees, $47,710 avg wage
- KS: 730 employees, $48,820 avg wage
- OH: 650 employees, $53,370 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 5,690 employees, $50,770 avg wage
- Midland, TX: 3,650 employees, $47,420 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,840 employees, $49,910 avg wage
- Odessa, TX: 1,300 employees, $48,530 avg wage
- Oklahoma City, OK: 980 employees, $46,860 avg wage
- Lafayette, LA: 870 employees, $49,610 avg wage
- Greeley, CO: 870 employees, $48,550 avg wage
- Pittsburgh, PA: 730 employees, $51,180 avg wage
- Longview, TX: 710 employees, $43,280 avg wage
- San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX: 650 employees, $46,120 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Diversity
Demographic information on Roustabouts, Oil and Gas in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Roustabouts, Oil and Gas in 2023 was 45,330 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Roustabouts, Oil and Gas in 2023 were Engineering, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Roustabouts, Oil and Gas workers.
Education level distribution for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Skills
Roustabouts, Oil and Gas need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making, Quality Control Analysis.
Required skills for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas include Mechanical, Customer and Personal Service, Production and Processing, Transportation, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas include Manual Dexterity, Multilimb Coordination, Problem Sensitivity, Near Vision, Trunk Strength.
Required abilities for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
Daily Activities
Roustabouts, Oil and Gas spend their time on activities such as Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, Performing General Physical Activities, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
About
Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
The average yearly wage for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas was $57,698 in 2023.
SOC Code
47-5071 - Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Roustabouts, Oil and Gas reports an average salary of $57,698.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 45,330 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -14.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.