Petroleum Engineers Salary in the US
A petroleum engineers earns a national median of $144,910 a year (mean $157,150) — BLS OEWS May 2025, ranked #44 of 825.
How much does a petroleum engineers earn in the US?
A petroleum engineers in the United States earns a median of $144,910 a year (mean $157,150), per BLS OEWS May 2025. That is 184% above the US all-occupations median of $50,980. About 18,060 people work in this occupation (SOC 17-2171), ranked #44 of 825 by national median pay. Updated annually from BLS OEWS.
Median
$144,910
per year
Mean
$157,150
per year
Employment
18,060
US workers
National rank
#44
of 825 by median
What a petroleum engineers earns in the US
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 national estimates, a petroleum engineers (SOC 17-2171) earns a median annual wage of $144,910 and a mean (average) of $157,150. The median is the midpoint — half of petroleum engineers earn more and half earn less — and is 184% above the US all-occupations median of $50,980. The mean is higher than the median when a minority of very high earners pull the average up.
Note: BLS top-codes any annual wage at or above $239,200/year, so occupations at that ceiling share the same figure.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average salary for a petroleum engineers in the US?
- The BLS OEWS May 2025 national annual median wage for petroleum engineers is $144,910, and the mean (average) is $157,150. The median is the midpoint — half of petroleum engineers earn more and half earn less.
- How does petroleum engineers pay compare to the US average?
- At $144,910, a petroleum engineers earns 184% above the US all-occupations median of $50,980 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The all-occupations US median is $50,980.
- How many petroleum engineers are employed in the US?
- BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates about 18,060 petroleum engineers employed nationally (SOC 17-2171), across all industries.
- Where does this petroleum engineers salary data come from?
- From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2025 national release — cross-industry, all-ownership estimates, SOC code 17-2171. As US federal government work it is public domain. GeraJobs publishes the figures verbatim; suppressed cells are shown as "—", never estimated.
Compare nearby occupations
- Compensation and Benefits Managers$149,230
- Sales Managers$148,270
- Purchasing Managers$148,080
- Air Traffic Controllers$148,080
- Medical Dosimetrists$147,470
- Public Relations Managers$146,910
- Political Scientists$142,080
- Managers, All Other$141,900
- Pharmacists$140,910
- Computer and Information Research Scientists$140,300
- Database Architects$139,500
- Optometrists$136,570
Find petroleum engineers jobs with salary ranges
GeraJobs lists live US vacancies with employer-stated salary ranges — see which petroleum engineers roles pay above the BLS benchmark.
Data source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) · May 2025 national estimates · SOC 17-2171 · Public domain (U.S. federal government work)
Published verbatim by GeraJobs. Last updated: 2026-06-27. ← All US salaries