Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
What Roustabouts, Oil and Gas Do
Assemble or repair oil field equipment using hand and power tools. Perform other tasks as needed.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 1.4%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Mechanicalimportance 3.6/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.1/5
- Production and Processingimportance 2.5/5
- Transportationimportance 2.5/5
- Mathematicsimportance 2.5/5
- English Languageimportance 2.4/5
- Physicsimportance 2.4/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.3/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0/5
- Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions5.0/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.7/5
- Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures4.6/5
- Contact With Others4.6/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders98% skill match
- Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators97% skill match
- Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders97% skill match
- Helpers--Extraction Workers96% skill match
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals96% skill match
- Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas96% skill match
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand96% skill match
- Printing Press Operators96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.0/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.0/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.9/5
- Equipment Maintenanceimportance 2.9/5
- Repairingimportance 2.9/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.9/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Database management systems
- Enertia
- Inventory management systems
- Maintenance record software
- Maintenance software
- Microsoft Windows XP
- Purchasing software
- Telephony software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Attention to Detail
- Perseverance
- Stress Tolerance
- Integrity
- Self-Control
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- ArtisticLow
- SocialLow
- EnterprisingLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where roustabouts, oil and gas make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Midland, TX111.55× national avg
- 2Odessa, TX88.19× national avg
- 3Greeley, CO26.29× national avg
- 4Enid, OK24.92× national avg
- 5Minot, ND23.06× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Helpers--Extraction WorkersLateral Move
- Derrick Operators, Oil and GasLateral Move
- Pile Driver OperatorsLateral Move
- Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment OperatorsLateral Move