Wellhead Pumpers Career, Salary and Skills
Wellhead Pumpers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $69,960 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 17,990. Wage data is published for 43 locations.
Occupation description
Operate power pumps and auxiliary equipment to produce flow of oil or gas from wells in oil field.
O*NET code
53-7073.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$69,960
Hourly median
$33.63
Employment
17,990
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Operations Monitoring | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Operation and Control | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Monitoring | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Repairing | 3.12 | 3.75 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Speaking | 3.00 | 3.00 |
Typical tasks
- Monitor pumps and flow lines for gas and fluid leaks.
- Gauge oil and gas production.
- Start compressor engines and divert oil from storage tanks into compressor units and auxiliary equipment to recover natural gas from oil.
- Monitor control panels during pumping operations to ensure that materials are being pumped at the correct pressure, density, rate, and concentration.
- Operate engines and pumps to shut off wells according to production schedules, and to switch flow of oil into storage tanks.
- Repair gas and oil meters and gauges.
- Perform routine maintenance on vehicles and equipment.
- Open valves to return compressed gas to bottoms of specified wells to repressurize them and force oil to surface.
Technology
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
- Moxa software
- Operational databases
- SAP software
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
Wellhead Pumpers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Wellhead Pumpers Salary in TXMedian $75,860 · Employment 10,250
- Wellhead Pumpers Salary in Houston, TXMedian $79,720 · Employment 3,860
- Wellhead Pumpers Salary in Midland, TXMedian $72,110 · Employment 1,660
- Wellhead Pumpers Salary in NDMedian $79,820 · Employment 1,540
- Wellhead Pumpers Salary in NMMedian $78,010 · Employment 1,060
- Wellhead Pumpers Salary in Dallas, TXMedian $78,010 · Employment 830
- Wellhead Pumpers Salary in OKMedian $61,380 · Employment 770
- Wellhead Pumpers Salary in WVMedian $52,170 · Employment 660
- Wellhead Pumpers Salary in PAMedian $45,490 · Employment 640
- Wellhead Pumpers Salary in KSMedian $62,400 · Employment 620
- Wellhead Pumpers Salary in WYMedian $57,200 · Employment 490
- Wellhead Pumpers Salary in COMedian $72,700 · Employment 370
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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.