Landmen
Overview
Introduction
Landmen are hired by oil and gas companies to research and negotiate rights to lands that contain oil and minerals. Companies must secure ownership rights before they can begin drilling the land for oil, gas, or minerals. Landmen negotiate the ownership and leasing of lands by landowners, communicating the oil and gas companies' terms and securing agreement by both parties. There are field landmen and company landmen. Field landmen are hired by brokers to work as independent contractors on projects. Company landmen are employed by o...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
An average landman working in the United States in January 2020 earned approximately $82,537 per year, according to PayScale.com. Salaries ranged from $53,000 to $119,000 or more. Company landmen have the potential to earn higher annual wages due to bonuses, profit sharing, health care coverage (if offered), and other employee benefits.
Work Environment
Landmen work mostly indoors, in offices in company buildings or in their own consultant offices. They use computers and mobile devices to conduct research and create reports. They attend department meetings in oil and gas companies, and also travel to meet with property owners and mineral owners, and to inspect properties and drilling activities. The outdoor inspections may sometimes be in incl...
Outlook
Landmen will continue to be needed to explore properties that have potential to generate oil, gas, minerals, and other resources for fuel. Oil and gas companies are expected to continue exploration efforts in the coming years to find oil and natural gas deposits trapped in shale rock. The recent introduction of horizontal drilling techniques and hydraulic fracturing has also strengthened Americ...