Occupations · Architecture and Engineering
Petroleum Engineers
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 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 17-2171.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 68% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $159,990 | 5,080 |
| Midland, TX | $165,880 | 1,180 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $154,490 | 1,100 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $168,740 | 790 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $173,400 | 680 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $143,400 | 360 |
| Tulsa, OK | $121,190 | 350 |
| Odessa, TX | $134,280 | 310 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $161,320 | 300 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $97,610 | 280 |
| Bakersfield, CA | $139,940 | 280 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | $184,250 | 260 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Bachelor's degree · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.
- Test machinery and equipment to ensure that it is safe and conforms to performance specifications.
- Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.
- Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
- Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.
- Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
- Assign work to staff to obtain maximum utilization of personnel.
- Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys.
- Develop plans for oil and gas field drilling, and for product recovery and treatment.
- Assess costs and estimate the production capabilities and economic value of oil and gas wells, to evaluate the economic viability of potential drilling sites.
- Simulate reservoir performance for different recovery techniques, using computer models.
- Confer with scientific, engineering, and technical personnel to resolve design, research, and testing problems.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2020-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2020-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
Tasks O*NET flags as emerging
- Use drone technology for aerial surveying and monitoring of drilling sites.
O*NET 30.3 emerging tasks
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 2 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 21
No longer listed 3
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| petroleum engineer | 2146.10 | exact |
| liquid fuel engineer | 2146.4 | close |
| drilling engineer | 2146.2 | close |
| gas production engineer | 2145.1.6 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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