Petroleum Engineer Salary (2026)
Typical pay is $144,910 a year, with most petroleum engineers earning between $106,270 and $197,920. Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Salary Calculator›Petroleum Engineer
Nationally, the typical petroleum engineer earns $144,910 a year. Early-career pay starts around $106,270, experienced petroleum engineers earn $197,920 or more, and the top 10% make over $253,200. About 18,060 people work in this occupation in the US. Pay is highest in Alaska ($206,290) and, among metro areas, in Anchorage, AK ($212,240).
Petroleum Engineer salary in the United States
Annual pay, BLS survey of May 2025
What petroleum engineers do
Petroleum engineers plan how to find and produce oil and gas, including drilling, completions and reservoir work. Pay is among the highest in engineering but moves with oil prices. Most jobs are in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and other producing states.
Petroleum Engineer salary by state
Typical annual pay for petroleum engineers in every state where BLS publishes figures, highest first.
| State | Typical | Early career | Experienced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $206,290 | $174,050 | $219,480 |
| Utah | $172,840 | $122,000 | $186,860 |
| Colorado | $172,190 | $112,070 | $214,220 |
| Texas | $164,860 | $123,450 | $220,330 |
| Oklahoma | $153,020 | $124,460 | $178,470 |
| California | $143,590 | $126,500 | $171,980 |
| Louisiana | $139,640 | $89,880 | $178,810 |
| Washington | $134,800 | $129,510 | $176,740 |
| North Dakota | $132,120 | $98,510 | $158,280 |
| Kansas | $115,640 | $92,650 | $127,820 |
| Montana | $104,060 | $80,380 | $137,540 |
| Pennsylvania | $101,880 | $96,040 | $138,890 |
| Nebraska | $100,800 | $95,960 | $135,540 |
| New Mexico | $99,900 | $93,200 | $127,490 |
| Ohio | $99,260 | $93,760 | $134,940 |
| West Virginia | $93,360 | $82,370 | $148,350 |
Highest-paying metro areas
| Metro area | Typical |
|---|---|
| 1. Anchorage, AK | $212,240 |
| 2. Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $180,230 |
| 3. Oklahoma City, OK | $176,200 |
| 4. Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $174,580 |
| 5. Midland, TX | $172,070 |
| 6. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $169,870 |
| 7. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $168,860 |
| 8. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $168,600 |
| 9. Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $167,600 |
| 10. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $167,000 |
| 11. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $166,570 |
| 12. Lubbock, TX | $164,480 |
| 13. Grand Junction, CO | $161,940 |
| 14. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $161,050 |
| 15. Ogden, UT | $158,300 |
Pay in Apollo's markets
| Metro | Typical |
|---|---|
| Atlanta | Not published |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $168,600 |
| Houston | $169,870 |
| Austin | $168,860 |
| Charlotte | Not published |
| Raleigh | Not published |
| San Antonio | $120,460 |
| Chicago | Not published |
| Orlando | Not published |
| Tampa | Not published |
| Miami | Not published |
| Jacksonville | Not published |
| Greenville-Spartanburg | Not published |
| Columbia, SC | Not published |
| Charleston, SC | Not published |
| Savannah | Not published |
Related engineering salaries
Petroleum Engineer salary FAQs
How much does a petroleum engineer make in the US?
The typical (median) petroleum engineer in the US earns $144,910 a year, or about $69.67 an hour (BLS, May 2025). Half earn more and half earn less.
What is the entry-level salary for a petroleum engineer in the US?
Early-career petroleum engineers in the US typically earn around $106,270 (the 25th percentile), and the lowest-paid 10% earn under $81,440. Degree, internships, licenses and the industry all move starting pay.
How much do experienced petroleum engineers earn in the US?
Experienced petroleum engineers in the US earn $197,920 or more (the 75th percentile), and the top 10% earn over $253,200.
Which state pays petroleum engineers the most?
Alaska has the highest typical pay for petroleum engineers at $206,290 a year. The highest-paying metro area is Anchorage, AK at $212,240 (BLS, May 2025).
Are petroleum engineers in demand?
BLS projects employment in this occupation to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% for all jobs, with about 1,000 openings a year nationally as people retire, change jobs or the field grows.
Hiring petroleum engineers?
Where these numbers come from
Pay figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (OEWS), which surveys about 1.1 million employer locations and is the government's main source of pay by occupation and location. This page uses the May 2025 survey, released in 2026, and updates itself when BLS publishes the next year's figures. Job outlook comes from the BLS Employment Projections for 2025–35. Cost of living comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024, where the US average is 100.
Pay is base wages and salary before tax. It does not include bonuses, overtime, benefits or equity. Early career is the 25th percentile (a quarter of workers earn less), Typical is the median and Experienced is the 75th percentile. The bar shows the full range from the 10th to the 90th percentile. The salary rank check estimates a percentile by drawing straight lines between those five published points.
BLS groups some job titles together. Controls engineers, for example, are counted with electrical engineers, and CAD designers with drafters. Each result names the BLS occupation it uses so you can see exactly what is being measured. BLS does not publish every occupation in every area, for example when too few people in a job were surveyed or when a figure does not meet its reliability standards. When a metro figure is missing, the calculator shows the state figure, or the national figure if the state is also missing, and says so.
BLS occupation used on this page: Petroleum Engineers (SOC 17-2171).