Rig hand vs derrickman

The differences between rig hands and derrickmen can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a derrickman has an average salary of $48,858, which is higher than the $33,851 average annual salary of a rig hand.

The top three skills for a rig hand include tongs, CDL and H2S. The most important skills for a derrickman are drilling fluid, fluid properties, and direct supervision.

Rig hand vs derrickman overview

	Rig Hand	Derrickman
Yearly salary	$33,851	$48,858
Hourly rate	$16.27	$23.49
Growth rate	1%	-
Number of jobs	4,329	733
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 60%	High School Diploma, 57%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Rig hand vs derrickman salary

Rig hands and derrickmen have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Rig Hand	Derrickman
Average salary	$33,851	$48,858
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $36,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between rig hand and derrickman education

There are a few differences between a rig hand and a derrickman in terms of educational background:

	Rig Hand	Derrickman
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 60%	High School Diploma, 57%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

Rig hand vs derrickman demographics

Here are the differences between rig hands' and derrickmen' demographics:

	Rig Hand	Derrickman
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3%	Male, 98.1% Female, 1.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 1.2% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.3%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 1.2% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between rig hand and derrickman duties and responsibilities

Rig hand example responsibilities.

Manage and perform rig operations, repair large mud pump motors, hoppers, shakers, generators, valves and agitators.
Complete OSHA 10 and H2S certifications.
Maintain current OSHA and CDL license.
Wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE).
Operate a methane work over rig and run a crew .... CDL
Help guide objects while elevate in air by crane inspect tools, equipment and PPE before using.

Derrickman example responsibilities.

Fill out the Iadc logs daily, lead the crew during safety meetings and orientations.
Provide leadership and guidance to direct reports, and manage their efforts to maximize their contribution to operational effectiveness and performance.
Conduct derrick maintenance of sheave nest, cables, structure, ropes, pulleys and safety equipment.
Maintain shakers and agitators on pit system.
Maintain centrifugal, agitators, and shakers.
Prepare BHA as per plan for hole sections.

Rig hand vs derrickman skills

Common rig hand skills

Tongs, 20%
CDL, 16%
H2S, 11%
CPR, 7%
Flow Lines, 6%
PPE, 4%

Common derrickman skills

Drilling Fluid, 12%
Fluid Properties, 9%
Direct Supervision, 8%
Well Control, 5%
Tongs, 5%
Drill Pipe, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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