Construction & Extraction
Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
Also called: Field Service Roustabout, Floor Hand, Oil and Gas Roustabout, Oil Field Roustabout
US median pay
$46,960
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+3.6%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
4,100
45,500 employed
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
Preparation 2/5 · Some preparation
What this job is
Assemble or repair oil field equipment using hand and power tools. Perform other tasks as needed.
What they do day to day
- Unscrew or tighten pipes, casing, tubing, and pump rods, using hand and power wrenches and tongs.
- Dismantle and repair oil field machinery, boilers, and steam engine parts, using hand tools and power tools.
- Guide cranes to move loads about decks.
- Walk flow lines to locate leaks, using electronic detectors and by making visual inspections, and repair the leaks.
- Lay gas and oil pipelines.
- Bolt together pump and engine parts.
- Move pipes to and from trucks, using truck winches and motorized lifts, or by hand.
- Clean trucks used in the fields.
- Dig holes, set forms, and mix and pour concrete into forms to make foundations for wood or steel derricks.
- Supply equipment to rig floors as requested and provide assistance to roughnecks.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Quality Control Analysis3.0/5
- Operations Monitoring3.0/5
- Operation and Control3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
- Time Management2.9/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.9/5
- Repairing2.9/5
- Equipment Maintenance2.9/5
Knowledge
- Mechanical3.6/5
- Customer and Personal Service3.1/5
- Production and Processing2.5/5
- Transportation2.5/5
- Mathematics2.5/5
- English Language2.4/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 2 of 5 — Some preparation. Usually a high school diploma; some previous work experience or training helps.
Typical entry education (BLS): No formal educational credential.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Less than high school64%
- High school diploma35%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.