Petroleum Engineers: Career Overview
Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.
Featured schools near , edit
What Do Petroleum Engineers Perform?
Typical responsibilities of petroleum engineers span:
- Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.
- Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.
- Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
- Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
- Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.
- Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys.
- Develop plans for oil and gas field drilling, and for product recovery and treatment.
- Assess costs and estimate the production capabilities and economic value of oil and gas wells, to evaluate the economic viability of potential drilling sites.
What Petroleum Engineers Need to Know
Successful petroleum engineers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Petroleum Engineers Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Certification Engineer
- Completion Engineer
- Completions Engineer
- Design Engineer
- Drilling Engineer
- Engineer
- Exploration Engineer
- Gas Distribution Engineer
Employment and Demand
There are roughly 382,293 petroleum engineers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +13.1% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Petroleum Engineers Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $137,336 |
| Hourly median | $66.03 |
| 10th percentile | $95,841 |
| 25th percentile | $116,588 |
| 75th percentile | $158,083 |
| 90th percentile | $178,831 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Petroleum Engineers Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $200,750 |
| Colorado | $167,540 |
| Utah | $166,580 |
| Tennessee | $164,240 |
| Texas | $153,200 |
| Wyoming | $152,770 |
| California | $147,780 |
| Oklahoma | $142,470 |
| New Jersey | $140,800 |
| Louisiana | $134,630 |
| Michigan | $131,250 |
| North Dakota | $130,090 |
| Washington | $129,660 |
| Minnesota | $128,580 |
| Kansas | $118,020 |
| New Mexico | $118,010 |
| Ohio | $108,070 |
| Nebraska | $107,250 |
| West Virginia | $102,900 |
| Arkansas | $102,110 |
| New York | $95,210 |
| Pennsylvania | $92,930 |
| Montana | $84,380 |
Where Petroleum Engineers Earn the Most
Compensation for petroleum engineers differ across the country. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountains | $156,891 | 11.0% | 3.93 |
| Far Western US | $155,768 | 9.0% | 1.87 |
| Southwest | $150,962 | 66.2% | 6.16 |
| Plains States | $122,547 | 2.6% | 1.84 |
| Southeast | $116,614 | 7.0% | 3.07 |
| Great Lakes | $115,487 | 1.3% | 0.21 |
| Middle Atlantic | $95,758 | 2.9% | 0.55 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Petroleum Engineers
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | AK | $205,380 | 220 |
| Amarillo, TX | TX | $199,990 | 50 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | TX | $184,250 | 260 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | UT | $174,410 | 150 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | OK | $173,400 | 680 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $168,740 | 790 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | TX | $167,090 | 160 |
| Midland, TX | TX | $165,880 | 1,180 |
Which Industries Hire Petroleum Engineers
The largest employers of petroleum engineers are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 10,780 | $149,990 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 2,220 | $170,090 |
| Manufacturing | 1,780 | $159,940 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,720 | $118,400 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 1,250 | $127,930 |
| Utilities | 300 | $99,000 |
| Finance and Insurance | 120 | $167,050 |
| Wholesale Trade | 90 | $135,360 |
Petroleum Engineers work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: C# (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: C++ (hot technology)
- Development environment software: Eclipse IDE (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: Google Analytics (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Linux (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
Work Environment
The work environment for petroleum engineers reflects the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
Getting Started in This Career
Typical petroleum engineers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Geothermal Production Managers (Primary-Short)
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers (Supplemental)
- Chemical Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Civil Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Water/Wastewater Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Electrical Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Environmental Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Industrial Engineers (Primary-Short)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Students preparing for petroleum engineers commonly pursue programs in:
Engineering
2 programs across 2 majors
References
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 17-2171.00 (Petroleum Engineers).
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.