← All careers

Skilled Trades

Wellhead Pumpers

Operate power pumps and auxiliary equipment to produce flow of oil or gas from wells in oil field.

Median salary (BLS)

$69,960

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$44k – $98k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Plan a path to Wellhead Pumpers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: No degree required

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Wellhead Pumpers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Wellhead Pumpers

    Entry / Junior

    $44,100

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Wellhead Pumpers

    Established

    $69,960

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Wellhead Pumpers

    Senior

    $84,065

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

Explore all

Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.