Texas Upstream Employment Rises

Employment in the Texas upstream sector increased by 1,800 jobs between February and March 2026.

That’s what the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) noted in a statement sent to Rigzone this week, which cited the latest Current Employment Statistics (CES) report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

This increase of 1,800 jobs reflected a gain of 600 jobs in oil and natural gas extraction and 1,200 jobs in support activities, subject to revisions, TIPRO highlighted.

In the statement, TIPRO said its workforce analysis “continues to indicate strong job postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry”. According to TIPRO, there were 9,110 unique industry job postings in Texas during the month of March - which the industry body pointed out was a seven percent increase compared to February - and 3,913 new job postings added during the month.

TIPRO reported a total of 60,130 unique job postings nationwide during the month of March within the oil and natural gas industry, which it said was an 11 percent increase compared to February, “including 25,907 new postings”.

Among the 19 specific industry sectors TIPRO uses to define the Texas oil and natural gas industry, TIPRO said Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations led in the ranking for unique job listings in March with 2,265 postings. This was followed by Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores, with 1,510 postings, Petroleum Refineries, with 649 postings, and Crude Petroleum Extraction, with 603 postings.

The leading three cities by total unique oil and natural gas job postings were Houston, with 2,321 postings, Midland, with 589 postings, and Odessa, with 394 postings, TIPRO revealed. The top three companies ranked by unique job postings in March were Loves, with 613 postings, Energy Transfer, with 281 postings, and ExxonMobil, with 267 postings, according to TIPRO.

Of the top ten companies listed by unique job postings in March, five companies were in the services sector, two were in the gasoline stations with convenience stores sector, one was a midstream company, one was in the downstream sector, and one was a fully integrated oil and natural gas company, TIPRO outlined. Top posted industry occupations for March included retail salespersons, with 306 postings, maintenance and repair workers general, with 266 postings, and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, with 259 postings, TIPRO highlighted.

Top qualifications for unique job postings in March included a commercial driver’s license, with 216 postings, a Master of Business Administration certificate, with 203 postings, and a transportation worker identification credential card, with 171 postings, according to TIPRO, which reported that 36 percent of unique job postings required a bachelor’s degree, 34 percent had no education requirement listed, and 30 percent required a high school diploma or GED.

“There were 2,115 advertised salary observations (23 percent of the 9,110 matching postings) with a median salary of $51,600,” TIPRO noted in the statement.

“The highest percentage of advertised salaries (33 percent) were in the $75,000 to $500,000 range,” it added.

TIPRO also revealed in the statement that tax contributions from the oil and gas industry “trended upward” between March and April.

Citing data from the Texas comptroller’s office, TIPRO said state oil production taxes generated $567 million in revenue in April, which it pointed out was a $189 million increase over March and 30 percent higher than April 2025 receipts. Natural gas production taxes contributed an additional $223 million to state coffers in April, TIPRO stated, adding that these revenues provided by the oil and gas industry directly support public programs, education, infrastructure and other essential services across Texas.

“Amid continued global market volatility and international supply disruptions, Texas oil and gas operators remain steadfast in delivering reliable, dependable energy to domestic and international markets,” TIPRO President Ed Longanecker said in the statement.

“The increase in upstream employment in March also demonstrates the strength and resilience of our industry,” he added.

“By maintaining steady production and responding efficiently to market signals, Texas producers are providing the stable energy supply that families, businesses and allies depend on, reinforcing the importance of American energy security at a critical time,” Longanecker continued.

In a statement posted on its website this week, the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) also pointed out that Texas oil and gas upstream jobs increased by 1,800 in March.

“The Texas Workforce Commission has released employment data through March 2026, showing that upstream oil and gas employment increased by 1,800 jobs in March compared with February,” TXOGA said in its statement.

Total upstream employment stood at 193,300 jobs in March 2026, TXOGA noted in the statement. Relative to the same month one year earlier, employment is down by 7,100 jobs, representing a drop of 3.5 percent year over year, the industry body added.

In the statement, TXOGA said that, prior to 2007, Texas upstream employment was “routinely below the September 2020 low of roughly 157,000 jobs”.

“From 1998 through 2006, upstream employment averaged about 142,000. As past cycles demonstrate, periods of decline followed by recovery are a recurring feature of the industry,” it highlighted.

A chart accompanying the statement on TXOGA’s site showed that Texas upstream employment stood at around 240,000 in January 2019 before dropping sharply around April 2020 and slowly rising back up through to around May 2023.

“This data underscores the enduring strength and adaptability of Texas’ energy sector despite recent market fluctuations,” TXOGA President Todd Staples said in the statement.

“Current employment levels remain significantly above historical norms and reflect robust gains since the pandemic-era lows. While it is premature to assume the increased employment will continue, announcements have been made that some companies are expanding production,” he added.

“These increased job numbers are a tremendous benefit to the families who are supported by this industry and are important for the communities in which they occur,” Staples went on to state.

In its statement, TXOGA noted that 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 TXOGA said support hundreds of thousands of additional jobs across Texas. TXOGA noted that employment shown also includes Support Activities for Mining, which it said is mostly oil and gas related but also includes some small amount of other types of mining.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com