Wellhead Pumpers
Operate power pumps and auxiliary equipment to produce flow of oil or gas from wells in oil field.
17,990 people do this job in the US. $69,960 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 15%
- 0%
- 85%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 14%. Today's estimate: 15%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 14 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitor control panels during pumping operations to ensure that materials are being pumped at the correct pressure, density, rate, and concentration.Done daily by most who do it. | 15% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Supervise oil pumpers and other workers engaged in producing oil from wells.Done daily by most who do it. | 14% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Gauge oil and gas production.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Unload and assemble pipes and pumping equipment, using hand tools.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 8% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor pumps and flow lines for gas and fluid leaks.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Start compressor engines and divert oil from storage tanks into compressor units and auxiliary equipment to recover natural gas from oil.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Repair gas and oil meters and gauges.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Operate engines and pumps to shut off wells according to production schedules, and to switch flow of oil into storage tanks.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 33 min17 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Perform routine maintenance on vehicles and equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Open valves to return compressed gas to bottoms of specified wells to repressurize them and force oil to surface.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min17 min to 1.4 h | Stays with people | |
| Attach pumps and hoses to wellheads.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare trucks and equipment necessary for the type of pumping service required.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers42% now, 47% by 2028
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers29% now, 29% by 2028
- Gas Plant Operators14% now, 16% by 2028
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas5% now, 5% by 2028
- Roustabouts, Oil and Gas0% now, 0% by 2028
- Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators45% now, 45% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).