Rig hand vs oil field worker

The differences between rig hands and oil field workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a rig hand has an average salary of $33,851, which is higher than the $30,014 average annual salary of an oil field worker.

The top three skills for a rig hand include tongs, CDL and H2S. The most important skills for an oil field worker are rig, safety procedures, and frac.

Rig hand vs oil field worker overview

	Rig Hand	Oil Field Worker
Yearly salary	$33,851	$30,014
Hourly rate	$16.27	$14.43
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	4,329	66,746
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 60%	High School Diploma, 60%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Rig hand vs oil field worker salary

Rig hands and oil field workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Rig Hand	Oil Field Worker
Average salary	$33,851	$30,014
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $25,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between rig hand and oil field worker education

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

	Rig Hand	Oil Field Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 60%	High School Diploma, 60%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

Rig hand vs oil field worker demographics

Here are the differences between rig hands' and oil field workers' demographics:

	Rig Hand	Oil Field Worker
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3%	Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 1.2% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between rig hand and oil field worker 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.

Oil field worker example responsibilities.

Dig drainage ditches around wells and storage tanks.Bolt or nail together wood or steel framework to erect derricks.
Land excavation heavy machine operator H2S safety crew
Work with welders and equipment operators in everyday situations to complete natural gas compressor stations.
Operate various types of equipment, such as backhoe, skid-steer, telehandler, loader, man-lift, packer, etc.

Rig hand vs oil field worker skills

Common rig hand skills

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

Common oil field worker skills

Rig, 26%
Safety Procedures, 18%
Frac, 7%
CDL, 6%
Oilfield Equipment, 4%
Flow Lines, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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