TL;DR

About 17,350 wellhead pumpers nationally earn a mean of $69,530. Employment in the series shown rose about 73% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.7% annual growth.

Key Statistics

17,350
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$69,530
Average Salary

Wellhead Pumpers: what the data shows

Common questions about wellhead pumpers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.

What is a wellhead pumpers?

Wellhead Pumpers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-7073.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 17,350 workers.

What does a wellhead pumpers do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Documenting/Recording Information, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Controlling Machines and Processes, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a wellhead pumpers make?

BLS national median annual wage: $70,010 (May 2024 in our extract).

Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).

Wage percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$45,838
25th percentile$51,410
Median (50th)$61,684
75th percentile$65,812
90th percentile$84,331

What education do you need?

For Wellhead Pumpers, 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 Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Critical Thinking, Equipment Maintenance, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, Mathematics, Administrative, Chemistry. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is wellhead pumpers in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: 3.5%.

Ten-year projected employment change: 7.2%.

Current U.S. headcount: 17,350.

We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.

Where do wellhead pumperss work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Cross-industry17,35020.3%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only17,35020.3%
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction16,73019.6%
Oil and Gas Extraction11,48013.4%
Oil and Gas Extraction11,48013.4%
Support Activities for Mining5,2406.1%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Wellhead Pumpers in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Wellhead Pumpers workforce.

Employment Over Time

17,350 Workforce in 2023

The Wellhead Pumpers workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Wellhead Pumpers.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$69,530 Average Wage

In 2023, Wellhead Pumpers earned an average of $69,530.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Wellhead Pumpers.

Salary distribution for Wellhead Pumpers.

Employment Growth Projections

0.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

393 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: 3.5%

407 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: 7.2%

This occupation is projected to grow at 0.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Wellhead Pumpers.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Wellhead Pumpers and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Wellhead Pumpers employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Wellhead Pumpers.

Wage Trends by Industry

-34.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Total, All Industry: -41.3% growth (Current: $69,530)

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Wellhead Pumpers.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Wellhead Pumpers.

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: 9,910 employees, $73,050 avg wage
  • NM: 1,320 employees, $75,140 avg wage
  • ND: 910 employees, $85,460 avg wage
  • WV: 730 employees, $52,160 avg wage
  • PA: 590 employees, $48,190 avg wage
  • KS: 520 employees, $60,390 avg wage
  • OK: 440 employees, $60,100 avg wage
  • WY: 410 employees, $75,190 avg wage
  • CO: 380 employees, $69,190 avg wage
  • IL: 330 employees, $57,110 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Wellhead Pumpers.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 3,940 employees, $75,650 avg wage
  • Midland, TX: 1,470 employees, $76,600 avg wage
  • Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 920 employees, $77,800 avg wage
  • Pittsburgh, PA: 290 employees, $44,970 avg wage
  • Oklahoma City, OK: 170 employees, $60,190 avg wage
  • Greeley, CO: 150 employees, $62,920 avg wage
  • Longview, TX: 140 employees, $64,740 avg wage
  • Wichita Falls, TX: 120 employees, $40,120 avg wage
  • Charleston, WV: 110 employees, $45,770 avg wage
  • Morgantown, WV: 110 employees, N/A avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Wellhead Pumpers.

Diversity

Demographic information on Wellhead Pumpers in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Wellhead Pumpers in 2023 was 17,350 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Wellhead Pumpers.

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 Wellhead Pumpers.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Wellhead Pumpers.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Wellhead Pumpers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.

Common majors for Wellhead Pumpers.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Wellhead Pumpers workers.

Education level distribution for Wellhead Pumpers.

Skills

Wellhead Pumpers need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Critical Thinking.

Required skills for Wellhead Pumpers.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Wellhead Pumpers.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Wellhead Pumpers include Mechanical, Mathematics, Administrative, Chemistry, Production and Processing.

Knowledge areas required for Wellhead Pumpers.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Wellhead Pumpers include Problem Sensitivity, Near Vision, Multilimb Coordination, Control Precision, Information Ordering.

Required abilities for Wellhead Pumpers.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Wellhead Pumpers.

Daily Activities

Wellhead Pumpers spend their time on activities such as Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Documenting/Recording Information, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Controlling Machines and Processes.

Most important work activities for Wellhead Pumpers.

About

Wellhead Pumpers

The average yearly wage for Wellhead Pumpers was $69,530 in 2023.

SOC Code

53-7073 - Wellhead Pumpers

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Wellhead Pumpers reports an average salary of $69,530.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 17,350 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.7%, 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.