Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators
Median $77,320
Occupation · SOC 53-7073
Wellhead Pumpers: pay and where the jobs are
What wellhead pumpers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$69,960 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $70,370
- Median hourly wage
- $33.63
- Mean hourly wage
- $33.83
- Employment
- 17,990
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-7073.
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See where your pay falls among wellhead pumpers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do wellhead pumpers make?
The median annual wage for wellhead pumpers was $69,960 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $44,100 and the highest-paid 10% more than $98,170. As an hourly rate, the median is $33.63. About 17,990 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in North Dakota ($79,820), New Mexico ($78,010) and Louisiana ($76,930). North Dakota also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for wellhead pumpers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,100 | $21.20 | $3,675 | $3,135 |
| 25th percentile | $52,330 | $25.16 | $4,361 | $3,686 |
| Median | $69,960 | $33.63 | $5,830 | $4,837 |
| 75th percentile | $82,200 | $39.52 | $6,850 | $5,555 |
| 90th percentile | $98,170 | $47.20 | $8,181 | $6,491 |
Wellhead Pumpers: pay by state
19 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$72,715 take-home in national prices
2
$69,188 take-home in national prices
3
$66,379 take-home in national prices
Where a median wellhead pumper paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 1,540 | $79,820 | $61,530 | $98,570 | $64,686 | $72,715 |
| New Mexico | 1,060 | $78,010 | $48,240 | $98,810 | $61,209 | $66,379 |
| Louisiana | 110 | $76,930 | $57,210 | $80,290 | $61,029 | $69,188 |
| Texas | 10,250 | $75,860 | $45,090 | $97,640 | $62,198 | $64,083 |
| Colorado | 370 | $72,700 | $50,220 | $93,790 | $57,164 | $55,471 |
| Arkansas | 90 | $64,650 | $30,830 | $76,020 | $52,222 | $60,069 |
| California | 160 | $64,430 | $50,180 | $76,330 | $51,183 | $46,227 |
| Mississippi | 80 | $62,560 | $52,600 | $78,470 | $50,677 | $58,280 |
| Kansas | 620 | $62,400 | $43,960 | $101,500 | $49,636 | $55,110 |
| Oklahoma | 770 | $61,380 | $46,230 | $75,690 | $49,282 | $56,103 |
| Utah | 130 | $59,970 | $49,660 | $79,040 | $48,120 | $48,673 |
| Montana | 90 | $57,830 | $46,200 | $93,170 | $46,685 | $49,327 |
| Wyoming | 490 | $57,200 | $47,760 | $92,060 | $48,140 | $51,936 |
| West Virginia | 660 | $52,170 | $36,900 | $74,600 | $42,563 | $47,558 |
| Illinois | 240 | $51,440 | $36,770 | $63,770 | $41,111 | $41,128 |
| New York | 50 | $48,980 | $39,710 | $69,590 | $39,245 | $36,364 |
| Michigan | 210 | $47,630 | $43,450 | $83,720 | $38,677 | $40,198 |
| Ohio | 250 | $46,750 | $35,110 | $70,530 | $38,902 | $41,931 |
| Pennsylvania | 640 | $45,490 | $38,340 | $68,810 | $37,303 | $38,231 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-7073. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.