AUSTIN – Data released by the Texas Workforce Commission indicates that upstream oil and gas employment in Texas continues to grow, with the sector adding 3,100 jobs in December. In 2023, upstream oil and gas saw significant increases in hiring with the job count growing by 15,300 jobs for the year.

“2023 was an incredibly solid year for upstream oil and gas job growth, despite global economic uncertainties that have held back strong price signals, and the year finished with a continued upward push on job expansion, said Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil & Gas Association. “These oil and gas jobs, along with the associated activity in local communities that generates tremendous growth opportunities, benefit every part of Texas and continue to be the cornerstone of the Texas economy.”

Since the COVID-low point in September of 2020, months of increase in upstream oil and gas employment in Texas have outnumbered months of decrease by 33 to 6. In that time, industry has added 54,700 Texas upstream jobs, an average growth of 1,403 jobs a month. These jobs pay among the highest wages in Texas, with employers in oil and natural gas paying an average salary of approximately $124,000 in 2023.

The upstream sector involves oil and natural gas extraction and excludes other industry sectors such as refining, petrochemicals, fuels wholesaling, oilfield equipment manufacturing, pipelines, and gas utilities, which support hundreds of thousands of additional jobs in Texas. The employment shown also includes “Support Activities for Mining,” which is mostly oil and gas-related but also includes some small amount of other types of mining.

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Founded in 1919, TXOGA is the oldest and largest oil and gas trade association in Texas representing every facet of the industry.