Petroleum engineer earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level petroleum engineer earnings begin at:

$81.73 per hour

$170,000 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level petroleum engineer earnings begin at:

$73.41 per hour

$152,680 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level petroleum engineer earnings begin at:

$62.55 per hour

$130,100 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level petroleum engineer earnings begin at:

$53.69 per hour

$111,670 per year

10th percentile

Starting level petroleum engineer earnings begin at:

$45.64 per hour

$94,940 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Petroleum engineer salary by state

State Name Average Salary
New Mexico $99,900
Ohio $99,260
West Virginia $93,360
Georgia $91,080
Alaska $206,290
Indiana $181,290
New Jersey $180,320
Utah $172,840
Colorado $172,190
Texas $164,860
Oklahoma $153,020
Arizona $148,830
California $143,590
Louisiana $139,640
Washington $134,800
North Dakota $132,120
Illinois $130,100
Virginia $119,800
Hawaii $118,200
Kansas $115,640
Michigan $112,240
Alabama $110,440
Arkansas $110,410
Wyoming $104,420
Montana $104,060
Pennsylvania $101,880
Missouri $101,830
Nebraska $100,800

How much does a Petroleum Engineer earn?

People may not immediately think about becoming a petroleum engineer but that is perhaps because they do not realize the potential salary. Petroleum engineering salaries can be very high due to the fact that the engineer can have a huge impact on a company’s profitability. A petroleum engineering starting salary with a bachelor’s degree is going to pay on average $75,000 and $95,000 depending on the company and location - this is one of the best starting salaries that a university graduate could hope to get and it looks to remain strong for the near future.

The average salary of petroleum engineers in the top 10 states all pay well over $100k. The top paying metropolitan cities are mainly located in Texas, Dallas, Plano, and Irving. Utah has the lowest salary for petroleum engineering at $97,960.

The top five highest paying petroleum engineering industries are in: Oil and Gas Extraction, Management of Companies and Enterprises, Basic Chemical Manufacturing, Scientific Research and Developmental Services, and Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers.

How do petroleum engineer salaries compare to similar careers?

Petroleum engineers earn 19% more than similar careers in Illinois.

Career Median Salary
Nuclear engineer salary $118K
Engineer salary $73K
Aerospace engineer salary $110K
Chemical engineer salary $93K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)