# Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas

> 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/service-unit-operators-oil-and-gas
- SOC code: 47-5013.00
- Career family: Construction and extraction
- Median annual pay: $58,160 (10th percentile $38,940, 90th percentile $97,560)
- Projected growth: Slower than average, +1.1%
- Openings a year: 3,800
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 26 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 3 |
| Enterprising (E) | 14 |
| Conventional (C) | 51 |

## What you'd do

- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 93/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 89/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 85/100)
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others (importance 84/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 83/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 80/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 79/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 79/100)
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People (importance 78/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 78/100)

## Skills

Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Active Listening, Troubleshooting, Judgment and Decision Making, Complex Problem Solving, Equipment Maintenance, Active Learning

## Knowledge

Mechanical, Mathematics, Customer and Personal Service, Engineering and Technology, Public Safety and Security, Education and Training, English Language, Chemistry, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management

## Also called

Coiled Tubing Operator, Fishing Tool Operator, Gather Operator, Oil and Gas Equipment Operator, Oil and Gas Field Technician, Oil and Shale and Tar Processing Technician, Oil Processing Technician, Oil Well Fishing Tool Technician, Oil Well Service Operator, Oil Well Service Unit Operator

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1509) (CIP 1509, 47 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Lewis and Clark Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/lewis-and-clark-community-college-1478) | Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians | not reported | $112,093 | not reported |
| [Lackawanna College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/lackawanna-college-1413) | Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians | $69,818 | $89,729 | not reported |
| [Nicholls State University-Louisiana](https://www.collegesref.com/college/nicholls-state-university-louisiana-1873) | Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians | $64,161 | $79,041 | $15,751 |

## Related careers

- [Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/rotary-drill-operators-oil-and-gas): $67,890 median pay
- [Roustabouts, Oil and Gas](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/roustabouts-oil-and-gas): $46,960 median pay
- [Wellhead Pumpers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/wellhead-pumpers): $69,960 median pay
- [Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/petroleum-pump-system-operators-refinery-operators-and-gaugers): $96,710 median pay
- [Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/earth-drillers-except-oil-and-gas): $60,190 median pay
- [Helpers--Extraction Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/helpers-extraction-workers): $47,730 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.