SOC 47-5011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas — Texas
Texas · 7 metro areas compared
The median wage here is $56,100 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $58,620.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow more slowly than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +0.5%
- Openings per year
- 1,000
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- Related work experience
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Texas.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage here is $56,100 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $58,620. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $49,760 and $68,060. The lowest tenth earn under $43,840, while the highest tenth earn more than $74,690.
The area has 5,810 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 6.06 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Texas ranks number 11th out of 19 states by median pay for this occupation. Within the state, Tyler records the highest median at $63,190. Of the 794 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 400th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $43,840 | −25.2% |
| 25th | $49,760 | −15.1% |
| Median (50th) | $56,100 | −4.3% |
| 75th | $68,060 | +16.1% |
| 90th | $74,690 | +27.4% |
| Mean | $57,690 | −1.6% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Texas
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Texas run 2.9% below the national average, so the median of $56,100 goes as far as $57,775 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 1.4% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$56,100as reported by BLSLocal price level
97.1US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$57,775US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $56,100 a year, 4.3% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $43,840 to $74,690 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 5,810 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 11th of 19 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Tyler, at $63,190.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas in Texas?
The median annual wage is $56,100, or $26.97 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $58,620, so pay in Texas is 4.3% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Texas earns more than $74,690 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $43,840 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Tyler, at $63,190 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 5,810 jobs in this occupation in Texas. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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