Construction and Extraction Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 47-5071

Roustabouts, Oil and Gas

Median pay sits 36% below the mid peer in Construction and Extraction Occupations (neighbors include Roof Bolters, Mining, Structural Iron and Steel Workers, Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other, Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Roustabouts, Oil and Gas: Roof Bolters, Mining ($79K) , Structural Iron and Steel Workers ($63K) , Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other ($70K) , Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas ($68K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Roustabouts, Oil and Gas publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 47-5071 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Unscrew or tighten pipes, casing, tubing, and pump rods, using hand and power wrenches and tongs
  2. 2. Dismantle and repair oil field machinery, boilers, and steam engine parts, using hand tools and power tools
  3. 3. Guide cranes to move loads about decks
  4. 4. Walk flow lines to locate leaks, using electronic detectors and by making visual inspections, and repair the leaks
  5. 5. Lay gas and oil pipelines
  6. 6. Dig holes, set forms, and mix and pour concrete into forms to make foundations for wood or steel derricks
  7. 7. Bolt together pump and engine parts
  8. 8. Move pipes to and from trucks, using truck winches and motorized lifts, or by hand
  9. 9. Clean trucks used in the fields
  10. 10. Supply equipment to rig floors as requested and provide assistance to roughnecks
  11. 11. Clean up spilled oil by bailing it into barrels
  12. 12. Dig drainage ditches around wells and storage tanks

Roustabouts, Oil and Gas: O*NET ranks Critical Thinking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 47-5071 - lead skill Critical Thinking at 3.1 ; lead knowledge Mechanical. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Critical Thinking 3.1
  2. 2. Monitoring 3.0
  3. 3. Operations Monitoring 3.0
  4. 4. Operation and Control 3.0
  5. 5. Quality Control Analysis 3.0
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 3.0
  7. 7. Active Listening 2.9
  8. 8. Social Perceptiveness 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mechanical 3.6
  2. 2. Customer and Personal Service 3.1
  3. 3. Production and Processing 2.5
  4. 4. Transportation 2.5
  5. 5. Mathematics 2.5
  6. 6. English Language 2.4
Pay vs Construction and Extraction Occupations peers
-36%
vs mid peer median $73,300
This role $46,960/yr
$47K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
4,300
Annual openings
44,970
Estimated US jobs
Roof Bolters, Mining
Highest-pay peer · $79K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas

1. Michigan $51,720
2. Florida $57,080
3. Ohio $51,230
4. North Dakota $60,480
5. Montana $58,800
6. Alaska $60,810
7. South Dakota $50,370
8. Nebraska $53,340
9. New Mexico $50,000
10. Indiana $51,740

Other Construction and Extraction Occupations titles

  1. 1. Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other $70,130
  2. 2. Roof Bolters, Mining $78,540
  3. 3. Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas $67,890
  4. 4. Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining $74,500
  5. 5. Terrazzo Workers and Finishers $76,170
  6. 6. Structural Iron and Steel Workers $62,780

Among Construction and Extraction Occupations peers on this card, Roustabouts, Oil and Gas sits 36% below the mid peer median ($73,300). Its own median is $46,960.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 4,300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Michigan at $51,720. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Roof Bolters, Mining at $78,540. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Roustabouts, Oil and Gas pay-rank #54 in Construction and Extraction Occupations

On the Construction and Extraction Occupations median table (60 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Roustabouts, Oil and Gas lands at #54, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 47-5071 · national median $46,960 · lower third of Construction and Extraction Occupations (#54/60). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Roustabouts, Oil and Gas salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 47-5071

Michigan · top state for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas

$52K published median

Florida · #2 state pay

$57K · behind Michigan

Roof Bolters, Mining

Highest-pay peer vs Roustabouts, Oil and Gas · $79K

Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Lower-pay peer beside Roustabouts, Oil and Gas · $63K

Compare Roustabouts, Oil and Gas

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Roustabouts, Oil and Gas with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Roustabouts, Oil and Gas

Against another occupation

Roof Bolters, Mining card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Roustabouts, Oil and Gas land on the Construction and Extraction Occupations median table? ▼
Roustabouts, Oil and Gas is pay-rank #54 of 60 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Construction Laborers ($47K), Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters ($48K), Helpers--Extraction Workers ($48K), Fence Erectors ($48K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do roustabouts, oil and gas do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas. Leading ones 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. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for roustabouts, oil and gas? ▼
For SOC 47-5071, O*NET importance scores lead with Critical Thinking (3.1), Monitoring (3.0), Operations Monitoring (3.0), Operation and Control (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Mechanical, Customer and Personal Service, Production and Processing. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $46,960 as the national median for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas. The published 10th-90th range is $36,420 to $64,530. Beside Roof Bolters, Mining ($78,540), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 4,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Roustabouts, Oil and Gas? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas? ▼
Michigan ($51,720), Florida ($57,080), Ohio ($51,230) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Roustabouts, Oil and Gas card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 47-5071. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Roustabouts, Oil and Gas. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics