Skip to content
Singulariki

Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas vs Wellhead Pumpers

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas and Wellhead Pumpers on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas Wellhead Pumpers
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$62,740
$70,010
Employment · BLS OEWS
11,040
17,350
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
11th pct
23rd pct

At a glance

Dimension Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas Wellhead Pumpers
Median pay $62,740 $70,010
Employment 11,040 17,350
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+0.5%) Declining (-4.7%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 1,000 2,000
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 11th pct Low · 23rd pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 30th pct · 19% of tasks 30th pct · 19% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — —
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman No No

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Operations Monitoring, Multilimb Coordination, Operation and Control, Control Precision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Reaction Time, Problem Sensitivity, Static Strength, Mechanical, Critical Thinking, Trunk Strength, Speaking, Monitoring, Repairing, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Far Vision, Speech Clarity, Mathematics, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Troubleshooting, Oral Comprehension, Inductive Reasoning, Perceptual Speed, Visualization, Response Orientation, Near Vision.

Specific to Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas

  • Extent Flexibility
  • Stamina
  • Depth Perception
  • Hearing Sensitivity
  • Auditory Attention
  • Flexibility of Closure
  • Selective Attention
  • Gross Body Equilibrium

Specific to Wellhead Pumpers

  • Information Ordering
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Speech Recognition
  • Written Comprehension
  • Category Flexibility
  • Administrative
  • Chemistry

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Spreadsheet software , Electronic mail software , Word processing software .

Specific to Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas

    Specific to Wellhead Pumpers

    Full profiles

    This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas or Wellhead Pumpers — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

    More comparisons

    Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

    Sources for this page

    Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

    Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

    Cite this page
    Plain

    Singulariki. "Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas vs Wellhead Pumpers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/derrick-operators-oil-and-gas-vs-wellhead-pumpers

    APA

    Singulariki. (2026). Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas vs Wellhead Pumpers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/derrick-operators-oil-and-gas-vs-wellhead-pumpers

    BibTeX 
    @misc{singulariki-derrick-operators-oil-and-gas-vs-wellhead-pumpers,
  title  = {Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas vs Wellhead Pumpers},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/derrick-operators-oil-and-gas-vs-wellhead-pumpers}
}

    Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.