Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas
SOC 47-5013 · 2024-2034
Operate equipment to increase oil flow from producing wells or to remove stuck pipe, casing, tools, or other obstructions from drilling wells. Includes fishing-tool technicians.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
Shrinking -23.3%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $64,275per year
- Projected openings
- 1,680
- Projected change
- -23.3%
- Usually needs
- No formal educational credential
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Operations Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Operation and Control
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Troubleshooting
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $72,296 | 340 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $63,925 | 1,330 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $63,164 | 250 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $55,628 | 40 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $47,277
- A quarter earn under
- $51,129
- Half earn under
- $64,275
- Three quarters earn under
- $80,288
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $107,742
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers | $105,606 | 2,680 | -11.4% |
| Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | $68,723 | 1,610 | +5.9% |
| Helpers--Extraction Workers | $53,121 | 1,270 | 0% |
| Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers | $58,922 | 1,480 | 0% |