Oil rig roughneck vs roughneck

The differences between oil rig roughnecks and roughnecks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an oil rig roughneck has an average salary of $40,338, which is higher than the $38,993 average annual salary of a roughneck.

The top three skills for an oil rig roughneck include rig, tongs and . The most important skills for a roughneck are safety equipment, flow lines, and tongs.

Oil rig roughneck vs roughneck overview

	Oil Rig Roughneck	Roughneck
Yearly salary	$40,338	$38,993
Hourly rate	$19.39	$18.75
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	1,906	134
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 61%	High School Diploma, 52%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Oil rig roughneck vs roughneck salary

Oil rig roughnecks and roughnecks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Oil Rig Roughneck	Roughneck
Average salary	$40,338	$38,993
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $60,000	Between $29,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between oil rig roughneck and roughneck education

There are a few differences between an oil rig roughneck and a roughneck in terms of educational background:

	Oil Rig Roughneck	Roughneck
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 61%	High School Diploma, 52%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Oil rig roughneck vs roughneck demographics

Here are the differences between oil rig roughnecks' and roughnecks' demographics:

	Oil Rig Roughneck	Roughneck
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0%	Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 1.2% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 1.2% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between oil rig roughneck and roughneck duties and responsibilities

Oil rig roughneck example responsibilities.

Operate heavy equipment with CDL certification.
Clamp holding fixtures on ends of hoisting cables.

Roughneck example responsibilities.

Fill out the Iadc logs daily, lead the crew during safety meetings and orientations.
Perform general maintenance on rig components, and conduct assigned activities on the rig floor.
Have to wear proper PPE at all times.
Operate forklift, manlift, and overhead hoists.
Assist in specific job tasks involving H2S protocol.
Appropriate use of PPE with various completion fluids.

Oil rig roughneck vs roughneck skills

Common oil rig roughneck skills

Rig, 90%
Tongs, 10%

Common roughneck skills

Safety Equipment, 18%
Flow Lines, 16%
Tongs, 12%
General Maintenance, 4%
Preventative Maintenance, 4%
Mud Pumps, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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