Architecture and Engineering Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 17-2171

Petroleum Engineers

The published band from $81,440 to $253,200 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Computer Hardware Engineers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Petroleum Engineers: Computer Hardware Engineers ($162K) , Civil Engineers ($101K) , Chemical Engineers ($125K) , Materials Engineers ($113K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Petroleum Engineers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 17-2171 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery
  2. 2. Test machinery and equipment to ensure that it is safe and conforms to performance specifications
  3. 3. Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production
  4. 4. Maintain records of drilling and production operations
  5. 5. Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production
  6. 6. Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems
  7. 7. Assign work to staff to obtain maximum utilization of personnel
  8. 8. Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys
  9. 9. Develop plans for oil and gas field drilling, and for product recovery and treatment
  10. 10. Assess costs and estimate the production capabilities and economic value of oil and gas wells, to evaluate the economic viability of pote…
  11. 11. Simulate reservoir performance for different recovery techniques, using computer models
  12. 12. Confer with scientific, engineering, and technical personnel to resolve design, research, and testing problems

Petroleum Engineers: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 17-2171 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Engineering and Technology. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 4.0
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.9
  4. 4. Writing 3.9
  5. 5. Speaking 3.9
  6. 6. Complex Problem Solving 3.9
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 3.9
  8. 8. Systems Analysis 3.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Engineering and Technology 4.4
  2. 2. Mathematics 4.1
  3. 3. Physics 3.5
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.5
  5. 5. Chemistry 3.4
  6. 6. Administration and Management 3.4
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$81,440 to $253,200
median $144,910 · ~3.1× spread
$145K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
1,200
Annual openings
18,060
Estimated US jobs
Computer Hardware Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $162K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Petroleum Engineers

1. California $143,590
2. Washington $134,800
3. Louisiana $139,640
4. North Dakota $132,120
5. Colorado $172,190
6. Oklahoma $153,020
7. Kansas $115,640
8. Texas $164,860
9. Alaska $206,290
10. Utah $172,840

Other Architecture and Engineering Occupations titles

  1. 1. Civil Engineers $100,840
  2. 2. Chemical Engineers $125,040
  3. 3. Materials Engineers $112,860
  4. 4. Engineers, All Other $122,930
  5. 5. Computer Hardware Engineers $161,740
  6. 6. Marine Engineers and Naval Architects $112,230

The OEWS band for Petroleum Engineers runs from $81,440 (10th) to $253,200 (90th), about 3.1× wide, with median $144,910. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $143,590. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Computer Hardware Engineers at $161,740. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Petroleum Engineers pay-rank #2 in Architecture and Engineering Occupations

Among 36 detailed Architecture and Engineering Occupations with a published OEWS median, Petroleum Engineers is pay-rank #2, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Petroleum Engineers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Petroleum Engineers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 17-2171

California · top state for Petroleum Engineers

$144K published median

Washington · #2 state pay

$135K · behind California

Computer Hardware Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Petroleum Engineers · $162K

Civil Engineers

Lower-pay peer beside Petroleum Engineers · $101K

Compare Petroleum Engineers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Petroleum Engineers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Architecture and Engineering Occupations titles sit near Petroleum Engineers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Petroleum Engineers is pay-rank #2 of 36 detailed Architecture and Engineering Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Aerospace Engineers ($135K), Nuclear Engineers ($134K), Electronics Engineers, Except Computer ($130K), Computer Hardware Engineers ($162K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do petroleum engineers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Petroleum Engineers. Leading ones include: Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery; Test machinery and equipment to ensure that it is safe and conforms to performance specifications; Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production; Maintain records of drilling and production operations. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for petroleum engineers? ▼
For SOC 17-2171, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0), Active Listening (3.9), Writing (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Physics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Petroleum Engineers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $81,440 and the 90th at $253,200 for Petroleum Engineers (3.1× spread). The national median is $144,910. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Petroleum Engineers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Petroleum Engineers is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 1,200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Petroleum Engineers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Petroleum Engineers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Petroleum Engineers? ▼
California ($143,590), Washington ($134,800), Louisiana ($139,640) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Petroleum Engineers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 17-2171. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Petroleum Engineers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics