Average wage and salary earnings in the oil and gas extraction industry were significantly higher than the average for all industries. The average hourly earnings of non-supervisory workers in the oil and gas extraction industry were $19.27, compared with $14.95 for all workers in private industry. Due to the working conditions, employees at offshore operations generally earn higher wages than do workers at onshore oil fields. College-educated workers and technical school graduates in professional and technical occupations usually earn the most. Earnings in selected occupations in oil and gas extraction appear in table 2.Few industry workers belong to unions. In fact, only about 2 percent of workers were union members or were covered by union contracts in 2002, compared with about 15 percent of all workers throughout private industry.
Table 2. Median hourly earnings of the largest occupations in oil and gas extraction, 2002
| Occupation |
Oil and gas extraction |
All industries |
| General and operations managers |
$53.87 |
$32.80 |
| Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers |
49.02 |
32.44 |
| Petroleum engineers |
44.96 |
40.08 |
| Accountants and auditors |
25.33 |
22.60 |
| Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers |
22.78 |
23.69 |
| Pump operators, except wellhead pumpers |
19.08 |
17.53 |
| Wellhead pumpers |
17.29 |
16.24 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
15.68 |
13.16 |
| Office clerks, general |
13.21 |
10.71 |
| Roustabouts, oil and gas |
12.48 |
10.71 |
|
