Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
Median $115,160
Occupation · SOC 17-2171
Petroleum Engineers: pay and where the jobs are
What petroleum engineers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$144,910 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $157,150
- Median hourly wage
- $69.67
- Mean hourly wage
- $75.55
- Employment
- 18,060
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-2171.
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See where your pay falls among petroleum engineers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do petroleum engineers make?
The median annual wage for petroleum engineers was $144,910 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $81,440 and the highest-paid 10% more than $253,200. As an hourly rate, the median is $69.67. About 18,060 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Alaska ($206,290), Utah ($172,840) and Colorado ($172,190). Alaska also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for petroleum engineers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $81,440 | $39.16 | $6,787 | $5,510 |
| 25th percentile | $106,270 | $51.09 | $8,856 | $6,966 |
| Median | $144,910 | $69.67 | $12,076 | $9,193 |
| 75th percentile | $197,920 | $95.16 | $16,493 | $12,212 |
| 90th percentile | $253,200 | $121.73 | $21,100 | $15,125 |
Petroleum Engineers: pay by state
16 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$148,491 take-home in national prices
2
$127,706 take-home in national prices
3
$124,671 take-home in national prices
Where a median petroleum engineer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 280 | $206,290 | $129,150 | $277,360 | $151,994 | $148,491 |
| Utah | 280 | $172,840 | $101,490 | $212,590 | $121,711 | $123,109 |
| Colorado | 1,390 | $172,190 | $92,590 | $264,960 | $121,332 | $117,739 |
| Texas | 9,140 | $164,860 | $89,990 | $283,500 | $123,948 | $127,706 |
| Oklahoma | 1,450 | $153,020 | $86,990 | $221,320 | $109,515 | $124,671 |
| California | 1,060 | $143,590 | $61,780 | $207,370 | $98,434 | $88,904 |
| Louisiana | 710 | $139,640 | $43,440 | $221,800 | $102,907 | $116,665 |
| Washington | 190 | $134,800 | $107,690 | $184,360 | $101,532 | $94,878 |
| North Dakota | 130 | $132,120 | $82,530 | $170,040 | $100,253 | $112,696 |
| Kansas | 110 | $115,640 | $65,510 | $195,300 | $84,530 | $93,851 |
| Montana | Not published | $104,060 | $77,450 | $155,590 | $77,518 | $81,904 |
| Pennsylvania | 600 | $101,880 | $77,220 | $175,130 | $77,304 | $79,227 |
| Nebraska | 150 | $100,800 | $80,880 | $165,490 | $76,036 | $84,388 |
| New Mexico | 260 | $99,900 | $76,140 | $151,750 | $75,545 | $81,926 |
| Ohio | 200 | $99,260 | $79,010 | $139,440 | $76,366 | $82,314 |
| West Virginia | 380 | $93,360 | $79,860 | $220,130 | $71,122 | $79,469 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-2171. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.