Roustabout vs roughneck

The differences between roustabouts and roughnecks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a roughneck has an average salary of $38,993, 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 roughneck are safety equipment, flow lines, and tongs.

Roustabout vs roughneck overview

	Roustabout	Roughneck
Yearly salary	$31,841	$38,993
Hourly rate	$15.31	$18.75
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	2,055	134
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 52%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Roustabout vs roughneck salary

Roustabouts and roughnecks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Roustabout	Roughneck
Average salary	$31,841	$38,993
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $39,000	Between $29,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	Bakersfield, CA	-
Highest paying state	Nevada	-
Best paying company	Nabors Industries	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between roustabout and roughneck education

There are a few differences between a roustabout and a roughneck in terms of educational background:

	Roustabout	Roughneck
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 52%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Roustabout vs roughneck demographics

Here are the differences between roustabouts' and roughnecks' demographics:

	Roustabout	Roughneck
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2%	Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2%
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, 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 roustabout and roughneck duties and responsibilities

Roustabout example responsibilities.

Swab oil and gas wells.
Clamp holding fixtures on ends of hoisting cables.
Swab back fluids, fish for part rods and tubing.
Experience in operatingdozer, excavator, bobcat and all-terrain crane.
Operate and fuel equipment machinery (bobcat and forklift).
Check that all bop valves are line up and are functioning properly.

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.

Roustabout vs roughneck skills

Common roustabout skills

CDL, 10%
Backhoe, 9%
Flow Lines, 7%
Oilfield Equipment, 6%
Welders, 5%
Manual Labor, 5%

Common roughneck skills

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