Petroleum Engineers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$144,910
United States, 2025
Employment
18,060
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.
- O*NET code
- 17-2171.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 6 years, up to and including 8 years
Typical tasks
- Write technical reports for engineering and management personnel.
- Coordinate activities of workers engaged in research, planning, and development.
- Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.
- Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.
- Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
- Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
- Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.
- Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$81,440
25th percentile
$106,270
75th percentile
$197,920
90th percentile
$253,200
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Writing3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Systems Analysis3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Systems Evaluation3.9
- Monitoring3.8
- Active Learning3.8
- Social Perceptiveness3.6
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 20 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
20
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | 4.8 | Not selected | 4.8 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Writing | 3.9 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Time Management | 3.6 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Coordination | 3.6 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Science | 3.4 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.6 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Mathematics | 3.3 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Petroleum EngineersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | $212,240 | 200 | 2025 |
| AK | $206,290 | 280 | 2025 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $180,230 | 110 | 2025 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $176,200 | 700 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $174,580 | 900 | 2025 |
| UT | $172,840 | 280 | 2025 |
| CO | $172,190 | 1,390 | 2025 |
| Midland, TX | $172,070 | 940 | 2025 |
| Houston, TX | $169,870 | 4,770 | 2025 |
| Austin, TX | $168,860 | 150 | 2025 |
| Dallas, TX | $168,600 | 910 | 2025 |
| Beaumont, TX | $167,600 | 90 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $167,000 | 330 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $166,570 | 70 | 2025 |
| TX | $164,860 | 9,140 | 2025 |
| Lubbock, TX | $164,480 | 100 | 2025 |
| Grand Junction, CO | $161,940 | 50 | 2025 |
| Oxnard, CA | $161,050 | 40 | 2025 |
| Ogden, UT | $158,300 | 40 | 2025 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $155,870 | 110 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Petroleum Engineers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.