Oil rig operators are paid to do dangerous work.
The loss of life or limb is a real danger faced by those who work as oil and gas derrick operators. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that there were nearly 17,000 derrick operators employed in the United States in 2010. Pay for work on an oil rig varies based on factors such as experience and location.
Pay Scale
Pay for oil derrick operators can range as low as $14.35 per hour to as high as $30.29 per hour, as of May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This equates to a salary range of $29,850 per year to $63,000. The median hourly wage for this field was $20.90, or about $43,470 per year. The middle 50 percent made $35,470 to $51,910, or about $17.05 to $24.96 per hour.
Employers
The BLS notes three main industries in which oil derrick operators typically work. According to the BLS, the average annual salary for those working in the gas and oil extraction field was $49,330 per year as of 2010. Some were employed by employment services and made $37,360, while those in the largest group, support activities for mining, made an average of $44,090.
Location
The location in which the oil derrick operator works also provides some indication of how much he can expect to make. According to the BLS, Texas was the state with the most workers in this field. They earned an average salary of $42,870 per year in 2010. Louisiana oil rig operators earned $46,510, while California operators made $48,620. Those working in the state of Oklahoma managed to bring home $41,280 per year, while Wyoming-based workers averaged $48,860.
Job Outlook
The number of jobs in the mining field in general should decrease by as much as 14 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to projections made by the BLS. The bureau indicates that the number of jobs in the oil and gas extraction field should decrease by even more, 16 percent, during this same period. The reason for the decline is largely increased efficiency through better technologies that allow fewer workers to complete the same amount of work.
