Petroleum engineer earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level petroleum engineer earnings begin at:

$69.44 per hour

$144,440 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level petroleum engineer earnings begin at:

$52.00 per hour

$108,170 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level petroleum engineer earnings begin at:

$39.79 per hour

$82,760 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level petroleum engineer earnings begin at:

$35.01 per hour

$72,810 per year

10th percentile

Starting level petroleum engineer earnings begin at:

$32.07 per hour

$66,700 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Petroleum engineer salary by state

State Name Average Salary
West Virginia $93,430
Georgia $91,080
New Mexico $88,380
Ohio $82,760
Indiana $181,290
New Jersey $180,320
Texas $151,360
Arizona $148,830
Alaska $141,150
Colorado $136,590
Washington $135,480
California $132,680
Illinois $130,100
Oklahoma $129,100
Louisiana $128,990
Montana $125,920
Pennsylvania $122,510
Virginia $119,800
Utah $118,610
Hawaii $118,200
North Dakota $117,770
Michigan $112,240
Alabama $110,440
Arkansas $110,410
Kansas $110,210
Wyoming $104,420
Missouri $101,830

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 about the same as related careers in Ohio. On average, they make less than computer hardware engineers but more than biochemical engineers.

Career Median Salary
Computer hardware engineer salary $102K
Chemical engineer salary $94K
Software engineer salary $91K
Petroleum engineer salary $83K
Sales engineer salary $87K
Mechatronics engineer salary $89K
Wind energy engineer salary $89K
Biochemical engineer salary $89K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)