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The differences between roustabouts and rig hands 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 $31,841 average annual salary of a roustabout.
The top three skills for a roustabout include CDL, backhoe and flow lines. The most important skills for a rig hand are tongs, CDL, and H2S.
| Roustabout | Rig Hand | |
| Yearly salary | $31,841 | $33,851 |
| Hourly rate | $15.31 | $16.27 |
| Growth rate | - | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 2,055 | 4,329 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 54% | High School Diploma, 60% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Roustabouts are manual workers who are typically employed in the oil and gas drilling industries. They have varied duties to keep the oil and gas rigs run efficiently and safely. Other responsibilities include maintaining the cleanliness of drill sites, transporting and storing materials and supplies to work areas, and installing equipment. They also conduct repairs on broken pumps and other equipment and maintain tools for drilling and extraction. This role's skills and qualifications include a high school diploma, familiarity with site safety procedures, and physical and mental stamina.
A rig hand is a term used to refer to various jobs in oil drilling. The rig hand is in charge of maintaining the drilling rig and other equipment on the rig. The job changes depending on the hierarchy in the rig hand, but their main work is the maintenance of the drilling tools. Their duties and responsibilities also include reporting any safety hazards and accidents to the rig supervisor.
Roustabouts and rig hands have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Roustabout | Rig Hand | |
| Average salary | $31,841 | $33,851 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $39,000 | Between $26,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bakersfield, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | - |
| Best paying company | Nabors Industries | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a roustabout and a rig hand in terms of educational background:
| Roustabout | Rig Hand | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 54% | High School Diploma, 60% |
| Most common major | Business | General Studies |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between roustabouts' and rig hands' demographics:
| Roustabout | Rig Hand | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2% | Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 1.2% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |