Petroleum Engineers Salary: $150,841 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 18,970 petroleum engineers nationally earn a mean of $150,841. Employment in the series shown fell about 23% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.6% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Petroleum Engineers: what the data shows
Common questions about petroleum engineers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a petroleum engineers?
Petroleum Engineers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 17-2171.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 18,970 workers.
What does a petroleum engineers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Analyzing Data or Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Processing Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a petroleum engineers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $141,280 (May 2024 in our extract).
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $80,644 |
| 25th percentile | $100,252 |
| Median (50th) | $151,796 |
| 75th percentile | $183,156 |
| 90th percentile | $225,126 |
What education do you need?
For Petroleum Engineers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Complex Problem Solving, Systems Evaluation, Systems Analysis, and knowledge areas including Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is petroleum engineers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.6% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 8.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 17.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 18,970.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do petroleum engineerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 18,970 | 19.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 18,340 | 19.2% |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 10,780 | 11.3% |
| Oil and Gas Extraction | 5,830 | 6.1% |
| Oil and Gas Extraction | 5,830 | 6.1% |
| Support Activities for Mining | 4,950 | 5.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Petroleum Engineers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Petroleum Engineers workforce.
Employment Over Time
18,970 Workforce in 2023
The Petroleum Engineers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Petroleum Engineers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$150,841 Average Wage
In 2023, Petroleum Engineers earned an average of $150,841.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Petroleum Engineers.
Salary distribution for Petroleum Engineers.
Employment Growth Projections
1.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
4,546 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 8.2%
4,920 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 17.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.6% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Petroleum Engineers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Petroleum Engineers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Petroleum Engineers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Petroleum Engineers.
Wage Trends by Industry
4.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 25.2% growth (Current: $161,267)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Petroleum Engineers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Petroleum Engineers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 10,640 employees, $158,990 avg wage
- OK: 1,290 employees, $159,810 avg wage
- CA: 1,190 employees, $146,850 avg wage
- CO: 1,140 employees, $168,220 avg wage
- LA: 920 employees, $125,910 avg wage
- PA: 470 employees, $107,360 avg wage
- NM: 390 employees, $127,050 avg wage
- UT: 380 employees, $170,420 avg wage
- WY: 320 employees, $173,320 avg wage
- AK: 310 employees, $211,940 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Petroleum Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 5,080 employees, $163,470 avg wage
- Midland, TX: 1,180 employees, $167,670 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,100 employees, $162,800 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 790 employees, $177,460 avg wage
- Oklahoma City, OK: 680 employees, $175,470 avg wage
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA: 360 employees, $151,350 avg wage
- Tulsa, OK: 350 employees, $141,790 avg wage
- Odessa, TX: 310 employees, $146,440 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 300 employees, $148,620 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano, CA: 280 employees, $132,900 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Petroleum Engineers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Petroleum Engineers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Petroleum Engineers in 2023 was 18,970 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Petroleum Engineers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Petroleum Engineers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Petroleum Engineers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Petroleum Engineers in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Mathematics.
Common majors for Petroleum Engineers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Petroleum Engineers workers.
Education level distribution for Petroleum Engineers.
Skills
Petroleum Engineers need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Complex Problem Solving, Systems Evaluation.
Required skills for Petroleum Engineers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Petroleum Engineers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Petroleum Engineers include Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Computers and Electronics, Chemistry.
Knowledge areas required for Petroleum Engineers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Petroleum Engineers include Written Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Oral Comprehension.
Required abilities for Petroleum Engineers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Petroleum Engineers.
Daily Activities
Petroleum Engineers spend their time on activities such as Analyzing Data or Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.
Most important work activities for Petroleum Engineers.
About
Petroleum Engineers
The average yearly wage for Petroleum Engineers was $150,841 in 2023.
SOC Code
17-2171 - Petroleum Engineers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Petroleum Engineers reports an average salary of $150,841, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 18,970 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.6%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.