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Role hub · Petroleum Engineers

Petroleum Engineer: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
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Median percentile pay

Half of petroleum engineers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$144,910
Hourly
$69.67
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Petroleum Engineers devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. The median pay is $144,910 a year ($69.67 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (72% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$144,910
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
18,060
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
72% of workers
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The work

What petroleum engineers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.
  2. Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.
  3. Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
  4. Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
  5. Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.
  6. Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys.
  7. Develop plans for oil and gas field drilling, and for product recovery and treatment.
  8. Assess costs and estimate the production capabilities and economic value of oil and gas wells, to evaluate the economic viability of potential drilling sites.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreCritical ThinkingcoreComplex Problem SolvingcoreJudgment and Decision MakingSystems AnalysisSystems EvaluationActive ListeningWritingSpeaking

Knowledge areas: Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Computers and Electronics, Chemistry, Administration and Management.

Tools and technology

Software petroleum engineers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareIn demand
  • Google AnalyticsAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft VisioProcess mapping and design softwareHot technology
  • SASAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • The MathWorks MATLABAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • Computer Modelling Group CMG STARSAnalytical or scientific software
  • DFA Capital Management GEMSFinancial analysis software
  • Dassault Systemes CATIAComputer aided design CAD software
  • Finite element analysis FEA softwareAnalytical or scientific software
  • GeoGraphix ARIES PortfolioFinancial analysis software
  • IHS PetraAnalytical or scientific software
  • IHS QUE$TORFinancial analysis software

Also called: Completion Engineer, Drilling Engineer, Engineer, Operations Engineer, Petroleum Production Engineer.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).