SALARY DATA — SOC 17-2171
Petroleum Engineers
17-0000 Architecture and Engineering Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Petroleum Engineers is 3.11× — the top decile earns $253,200 against the bottom decile at $81,440. That spread is 3.11× wide. The band is wider than employers typically represent; knowing where you sit in it is the whole game.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 18,060.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $81,440 | -44% | ~$39 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $106,270 | -27% | ~$51 |
| Median — 50th pct | $144,910 | — | $69.67/hr |
| Mean — average | $157,150 | +8% | $75.55/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $197,920 | +37% | ~$95 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $253,200 | +75% | ~$122 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Petroleum Engineers in 33 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 4,770 | $169,870 | $89,990 | $288,530 |
| Midland, TX | 940 | $172,070 | $90,620 | $298,530 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 910 | $168,600 | $114,080 | $253,200 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 900 | $174,580 | $95,090 | $283,790 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 700 | $176,200 | $104,680 | $273,980 |
| Tulsa, OK | 370 | $130,750 | $93,340 | $179,200 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 330 | $167,000 | $127,610 | $206,230 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 320 | $148,390 | $72,820 | $237,280 |
| Greeley, CO | 300 | $132,240 | $82,030 | $237,270 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 240 | $120,460 | $78,470 | $200,380 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 18 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Petroleum Engineers are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil and Gas Extraction | 211100 | 5,900 | $180,080 |
| Support Activities for Mining | 213100 | 3,290 | $126,600 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 541300 | 1,840 | $96,040 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 551100 | 1,670 | $171,710 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 541600 | 1,310 | $89,990 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Petroleum Engineers is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: Los Angeles ranks #7 of 15 on the paycheck and #9 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City | $176,200 | 95.5 | $184,414 | +1 |
| Salt Lake City | $180,230 | 100.3 | $179,644 | -1 |
| Houston | $169,870 | 95.6 | $177,738 | +1 |
| Denver | $174,580 | 99.4 | $175,692 | -1 |
| Austin | $168,860 | 96.2 | $175,609 | — |
| Dallas | $168,600 | 99.7 | $169,048 | — |
| Sacramento | $166,570 | 100.3 | $166,125 | +1 |
| New Orleans | $148,390 | 97.2 | $152,614 | +1 |
| Los Angeles | $167,000 | 113.6 | $147,051 | -2 |
| San Francisco | $143,590 | 106.2 | $135,226 | — |
Top 10 of 15 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Petroleum Engineers to move from 18,500 to 18,800 over 2025–2035 — +2% , with about 1,000 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: bachelor's degree.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Petroleum Engineers?
- The median annual salary for Petroleum Engineers is $144,910, and the mean is $157,150 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Petroleum Engineers?
- Most Petroleum Engineers earn between $81,440 and $253,200 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 3.11× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 3.11 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Petroleum Engineers fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ranks #7 by nominal pay but #9 of 15 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Petroleum Engineers growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Petroleum Engineers employment to grow 2% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 1,000 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Petroleum Engineers jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 18,060 workers in Petroleum Engineers nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Architecture and Engineering Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Petroleum Engineers: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Aerospace Engineers $134,960
- Nuclear Engineers $133,970
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $130,220
- Computer Hardware Engineers $161,740
- Chemical Engineers $125,040
- Engineers, All Other $122,930
- Electrical Engineers $120,630
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors $115,160
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Petroleum Engineers (SOC 17-2171): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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