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Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas pay in Louisiana and Oklahoma
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas is $86,980 per year in Louisiana. It is $58,270 per year in Oklahoma. Louisiana is 49.3% above Oklahoma on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 47-5011 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 890 wage and salary jobs in Louisiana and 580 in Oklahoma. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings