SOC 17-2171 · Architecture and Engineering Occupations
Petroleum Engineers
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025United States, all industries
Nationally, petroleum engineers earned a median of $144,910 per year as of the May 2025 OEWS estimates, across 18,060 jobs. Pay varies substantially by area — look up a specific state or metro below.
National pay distribution
Pay by state
Every state and territory with a published May 2025 estimate. “Not published” means BLS suppressed the value — it never means zero. Higher medians often track higher living costs; this is not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
| State | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $206,290 | $99.18 | 280 | 0.9 |
| Utah | $172,840 | $83.10 | 280 | 0.2 |
| Colorado | $172,190 | $82.78 | 1,390 | 0.5 |
| Texas | $164,860 | $79.26 | 9,140 | 0.7 |
| Oklahoma | $153,020 | $73.57 | 1,450 | 0.8 |
| California | $143,590 | $69.03 | 1,060 | 0.1 |
| Louisiana | $139,640 | $67.13 | 710 | 0.4 |
| Washington | $134,800 | $64.81 | 190 | 0.1 |
| North Dakota | $132,120 | $63.52 | 130 | 0.3 |
| Kansas | $115,640 | $55.60 | 110 | 0.1 |
| Montana | $104,060 | $50.03 | Not published | Not published |
| Pennsylvania | $101,880 | $48.98 | 600 | 0.1 |
| Nebraska | $100,800 | $48.46 | 150 | 0.1 |
| New Mexico | $99,900 | $48.03 | 260 | 0.3 |
| Ohio | $99,260 | $47.72 | 200 | 0.0 |
| West Virginia | $93,360 | $44.89 | 380 | 0.5 |
| Alabama | Not published | Not published | 50 | 0.0 |
| Florida | Not published | Not published | 40 | 0.0 |
| Michigan | Not published | Not published | 580 | 0.1 |
| Minnesota | Not published | Not published | 40 | 0.0 |
| Tennessee | Not published | Not published | 70 | 0.0 |
| Wyoming | Not published | Not published | 280 | 1.0 |
Pay by metro area
All 39 metro areas where BLS publishes this occupation. Sort by median wage, employment, or local concentration — or see the highest-paying metros ranked.
Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.
| Metro area | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | $212,240 | $102.04 | 200 | 1.2 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $180,230 | $86.65 | 110 | 0.1 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $176,200 | $84.71 | 700 | 1.0 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $174,580 | $83.93 | 900 | 0.6 |
| Midland, TX | $172,070 | $82.73 | 940 | 7.7 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $169,870 | $81.67 | 4,770 | 1.5 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $168,860 | $81.19 | 150 | 0.1 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $168,600 | $81.06 | 910 | 0.2 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $167,600 | $80.58 | 90 | 0.6 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $167,000 | $80.29 | 330 | 0.1 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $166,570 | $80.08 | 70 | 0.1 |
| Lubbock, TX | $164,480 | $79.08 | 100 | 0.6 |
| Grand Junction, CO | $161,940 | $77.85 | 50 | 0.8 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $161,050 | $77.43 | 40 | 0.1 |
| Ogden, UT | $158,300 | $76.11 | 40 | 0.1 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $155,870 | $74.94 | 110 | 0.6 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $148,390 | $71.34 | 320 | 0.7 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $147,440 | $70.89 | 160 | 0.5 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $143,590 | $69.03 | Not published | Not published |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $135,630 | $65.21 | Not published | Not published |
| Odessa, TX | $135,620 | $65.20 | 220 | 2.7 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $134,800 | $64.81 | 40 | 0.0 |
| Tyler, TX | $132,530 | $63.71 | 60 | 0.5 |
| Greeley, CO | $132,240 | $63.58 | 300 | 2.5 |
| El Paso, TX | $131,740 | $63.34 | 40 | 0.1 |
| Tulsa, OK | $130,750 | $62.86 | 370 | 0.8 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $130,230 | $62.61 | 210 | 0.2 |
| Casper, WY | $125,640 | $60.40 | 80 | 1.9 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $120,460 | $57.91 | 240 | 0.2 |
| Wichita, KS | $111,590 | $53.65 | 40 | 0.1 |
| Farmington, NM | $111,570 | $53.64 | 30 | 0.7 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $106,650 | $51.27 | 80 | 0.0 |
| Longview, TX | $101,290 | $48.70 | 130 | 1.1 |
| Columbus, OH | $99,260 | $47.72 | 60 | 0.1 |
| Lincoln, NE | $98,010 | $47.12 | Not published | Not published |
| Charleston, WV | $88,860 | $42.72 | 80 | 0.8 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | Not published | Not published | 70 | 0.8 |
| Lafayette, LA | Not published | Not published | 50 | 0.3 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | Not published | Not published | 30 | 0.0 |
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.