Architecture & Engineering
Petroleum Engineers
SOC 17-2171
Design and supervise the methods for extracting oil and gas economically.
The job
Median pay
$145k
$106k to $198k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+2.0% projected
Openings a year
1k
BLS projection
Typical education
Bachelor's
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
3/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
26th pct
More exposed than 26% of occupations · modeled estimate · 69th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
62/100
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 9,140 | 0.6 | 5.6× | $165k |
| Oklahoma | 1,450 | 0.8 | 7.3× | $153k |
| Colorado | 1,390 | 0.5 | 4.2× | $172k |
| California | 1,060 | 0.1 | 0.5× | $144k |
| New York | 739 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $143k~ |
| Louisiana | 710 | 0.4 | 3.2× | $140k |
| Pennsylvania | 600 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $102k |
| Michigan | 580 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $145k~ |
| Illinois | 555 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $144k~ |
| North Carolina | 550 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $133k~ |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 546 | 0.2 | 1.3× | $155k~ |
| Virginia | 528 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $146k~ |
| Georgia | 461 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $129k~ |
| West Virginia | 380 | 0.5 | 4.7× | $93k |
| Maryland | 369 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $162k~ |
| Arizona | 367 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $141k~ |
| Indiana | 360 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $128k~ |
| Wisconsin | 351 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $123k~ |
| New Jersey | 334 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $150k~ |
| South Carolina | 319 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $137k~ |
| Oregon | 290 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $151k~ |
| Alaska | 280 | 0.9 | 7.4× | $206k |
| Utah | 280 | 0.2 | 1.4× | $173k |
| Wyoming | 280 | 1.0 | 8.6× | $139k~ |
| Missouri | 262 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $126k~ |
| New Mexico | 260 | 0.3 | 2.6× | $100k |
| Connecticut | 247 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $149k~ |
| Ohio | 200 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $99k |
| Kentucky | 190 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $123k~ |
| Washington | 190 | 0.1 | 0.5× | $135k |
| Nebraska | 150 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $101k |
| Iowa | 145 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $122k~ |
| North Dakota | 130 | 0.3 | 2.6× | $132k |
| Nevada | 129 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $137k~ |
| Kansas | 110 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $116k |
| Idaho | 105 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $141k~ |
| Mississippi | 99 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $119k~ |
| New Hampshire | 99 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $141k~ |
| Arkansas | 91 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $113k~ |
| Washington DC | 81 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $183k~ |
| Maine | 73 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $137k~ |
| Tennessee | 70 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $125k~ |
| Hawaii | 64 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $143k~ |
| Rhode Island | 64 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $153k~ |
| Montana | 57 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $104k~ |
| Alabama | 50 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $146k~ |
| South Dakota | 45 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $119k~ |
| Florida | 40 | 0.0 | 0.0× | $129k~ |
| Minnesota | 40 | 0.0 | 0.1× | $141k~ |
| Delaware | 39 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $146k~ |
| Vermont | 39 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $130k~ |
Top metro areas
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX4,770 jobs · $170k median
- Midland, TX940 jobs · $172k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX910 jobs · $169k median
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO900 jobs · $175k median
- Oklahoma City, OK700 jobs · $176k median
- Tulsa, OK370 jobs · $131k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA330 jobs · $167k median
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA320 jobs · $148k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Petroleum Engineers interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.