How much do rig managers make in 2026?
Rig managers, also called toolpushers, are reported inside SOC 47-1011, first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers, which BLS OEWS May 2025 puts at a national median of $79,920 a year, or $38.42 an hour, with a P10 to P90 range of $53,280 to $128,260 across 812,210 workers. That is a broad match onto one of the largest supervisory rows in this dataset, and it pools rig supervision with construction foremen across every trade and region. The pooling works against this title, because a rig manager runs a drilling rig around the clock: the crews, the equipment, well control readiness, contractor coordination and the operator relationship, on a hitch rotation with continuous accountability. Realistically that places them in the upper part of this band rather than at its median, with position depending on rig class, whether the work is land or offshore, and the contractor's structure. As with all field roles, hitch pattern, overtime and employer-specific per diem and travel arrangements shape the annual total, and those amounts are not part of the BLS wage series. BLS projects 5.3% growth for the pooled code through 2034 with roughly 74,400 openings a year. → Full rig manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $79,920 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Rig Managers earn a national median $79,920/yr ($38.42/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-1011); the P10 to P90 range is $53,280 to $128,260.
- The BLS row pools rig supervision with 812,000 construction and extraction supervisors across all industries, so a rig manager sits in the upper part of the band rather than at its median.
- Rig class and whether the work is land or offshore are the main pay variables, alongside the contractor's own structure.
- Hitch rotation, overtime and employer-specific per diem and travel arrangements shape the annual total and are outside the BLS wage series entirely.
US Rig Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do rig managers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-1011; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-1011, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a rig manager earn at each career stage?
Rig supervision pay follows rig class and well complexity. Each median below is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-1011, which pools rig managers with construction supervisors.
By State
Which states pay rig managers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates, not BLS state observations: the national median for SOC 47-1011 scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index. Rig supervision follows active basins rather than population, and because the pooled code is dominated by construction supervision, these state figures reflect general wage levels rather than drilling market conditions.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($91,910), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay rig managers the most?
Metro figures are modeled, national median times state wage index times published metro index, not BLS metropolitan observations. Drilling operations are basin-based and rarely metropolitan, so this table describes where a rig manager lives between hitches rather than where the rig is.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a rig manager’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does rig manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Rig Managers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify rig manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a rig manager actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Rig Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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