Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

47-5013 Service Unit Operators, Oil, Gas, and Mining

Operate equipment to increase oil flow from producing wells or to remove stuck pipe, casing, tools, or other obstructions from drilling wells. May also perform similar services in mining exploration operations. Include fishing-tool technicians.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
12,310 6.1 % $15.13 $31,480 1.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.30 $10.93 $13.78 $18.53 $22.85
Annual Wage (2) $19,340 $22,740 $28,670 $38,530 $47,520

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Support activities for mining 8,890 $14.89 $30,980 1 7
Oil and gas extraction 2,320 $15.75 $32,760 2 6
Natural gas distribution 110 $16.42 $34,140 3 3
Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying 90 $14.72 $30,620 4 8

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Machinery and equipment rental and leasing (6) $20.65 $42,950 (6) 1
Ag., construction, and mining machinery mfg. (6) $16.51 $34,340 (6) 2
Natural gas distribution 110 $16.42 $34,140 3 3
Utility system construction (6) $16.38 $34,070 (6) 4
Specialized freight trucking (6) $16.32 $33,940 (6) 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Wyoming 550 $17.93 $37,300 0.229% 168
West Virginia 710 $16.04 $33,360 0.104% 251
North Dakota 310 $14.89 $30,970 0.099% 234
Louisiana 1,220 $14.92 $31,030 0.067% 323
New Mexico 450 $15.26 $31,750 0.062% 272

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Alaska 30 $24.34 $50,630 0.010% 139
California 780 $19.83 $41,250 0.005% 322
New York 50 $19.71 $41,000 0.001% 310
Wyoming 550 $17.93 $37,300 0.229% 168
Oklahoma 810 $17.83 $37,090 0.057% 213

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Odessa-Midland, TX MSA 850 $13.77 $28,630 0.836%
Abilene, TX MSA 160 $13.73 $28,560 0.297%
Longview-Marshall, TX MSA 260 $17.04 $35,440 0.284%
Victoria, TX MSA 90 $12.48 $25,950 0.254%
Lafayette, LA MSA 390 $13.67 $28,440 0.238%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Ventura, CA PMSA 60 $21.26 $44,220 0.021%
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA PMSA (6) $19.70 $40,980 (6)
Bakersfield, CA MSA 430 $19.32 $40,190 0.188%
Charleston, WV MSA (6) $18.11 $37,670 (6)
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA MSA (6) $17.48 $36,350 (6)

About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Construction and Extraction Occupations

2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003