Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas
Also called: Derrick Hand, Derrick Man, Derrickhand, DerrickmanRig derrick equipment and operate pumps to circulate mud or fluid through drill hole.
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What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 15 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 1.6% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 7.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other extraction workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.7 hires for every 10 job openings in mining and logging, which employs about 99% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.8.7 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $49,350 | $37,130 to $60,160 | not published |
| Alaska | $78,050 | $62,500 to $87,790 | 170 |
| Arkansas | $50,070 | $49,120 to $56,490 | 50 |
| California | $55,480 | $52,770 to $68,920 | not published |
| Colorado | $64,730 | $55,150 to $77,110 | 290 |
| Florida | $64,950 | $64,910 to $81,390 | 60 |
| Illinois | $45,900 | $37,900 to $46,690 | not published |
| Louisiana | $86,980 | $49,070 to $94,540 | 890 |
| Michigan | $45,180 | $44,950 to $49,490 | 40 |
| Mississippi | $47,340 | $37,710 to $52,760 | 200 |
| New Mexico | $59,570 | $48,680 to $71,810 | 880 |
| North Dakota | $71,850 | $68,360 to $76,760 | 490 |
| Ohio | $50,650 | $42,230 to $59,250 | 120 |
| Oklahoma | $58,270 | $50,400 to $63,840 | 580 |
| Pennsylvania | $59,720 | $58,340 to $59,720 | 140 |
| Texas | $56,100 | $49,760 to $68,060 | 5,810 |
| Utah | $56,980 | $54,640 to $77,190 | 80 |
| West Virginia | $50,640 | $49,520 to $71,390 | 60 |
| Wyoming | $76,750 | $64,000 to $77,570 | 140 |
Nationally: $58,620. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on none of its 15 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Listen to mud pumps and check regularly for vibration and other problems to ensure that rig pumps and drilling mud systems are working properly. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise crew members, and provide assistance in training them. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair pumps, mud tanks, and related equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Control the viscosity and weight of the drilling fluid. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect derricks, or order their inspection, prior to being raised or lowered. | Not published |
| Not much | String cables through pulleys and blocks. | Not published |
See all 15 tasks
| Not much | Steady pipes during connection to or disconnection from drill or casing strings. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect derricks for flaws, and clean and oil derricks to maintain proper working conditions. | Not published |
| Not much | Weigh clay, and mix with water and chemicals to make drilling mud, using portable mixers. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare mud reports, and instruct crews about the handling of any chemical additives. | Not published |
| Not much | Start pumps that circulate mud through drill pipes and boreholes to cool drill bits and flush out drill cuttings. | Not published |
| Not much | Position and align derrick elements, using harnesses and platform climbing devices. | Not published |
| Not much | Guide lengths of pipe into and out of elevators. | Not published |
| Not much | Clamp holding fixtures on ends of hoisting cables. | Not published |
| Not much | Set and bolt crown blocks to posts at tops of derricks. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 15 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 15 tasks fall under 14 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Install commercial or production equipment | |||
| Operate lifting or moving equipment | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Prepare reports of operational or procedural activities |
Show all 14 activities
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Position tools or equipment | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Build structures | |||
| Operate pumping systems or equipment | |||
| Direct construction or extraction activities |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for derrick operators, oil and gas specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved in from
of 260 moves in
- 1 Roustabouts, Oil and Gas Low +3.6% 26%
- 2 Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas Low +0.8% 25%
- 3 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 6 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 2%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 69% less than high school
- 23% high school
- 5% postsecondary certificate
- 4% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 19% less than high school
- 50% high school
- 19% some college
- 5% associate's
- 6% bachelor's
- 1% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other extraction workers” · 526 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other extraction workers”
1 program: Well Drilling/Driller.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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