What a boom the Eagle Ford has stirred.

Last year, the Eagle Ford shale generated 6,800 full-time jobs and paid $311 million in salaries and benefits, according to a study completed in February by the University of Texas at San Antonio's Center for Community and Business Research.

When spinoff jobs are included — from wholesalers to waiters - the study found the development in the shale play supported 12,600 jobs and paid $512 million in salaries.

Because development is just beginning, the UTSA study estimates that by 2020, 5,000 new wells will be drilled, and the Eagle Ford will support almost 68,000 full-time jobs, account for almost $21.5 billion in total annual economic output, and add almost $1.2 billion to Texas' revenues.

Entry-level floor hands on a Chesapeake Energy rig can make $22 to $25 an hour,

A motorman, who's one step up from a floor hand, can make $24 to $26 an hour, while a derrick man makes about $28 an hour. Pay for the driller, who answers to the tool pusher, is almost $30 an hour.

Read the full article at chron.com