Petroleum Engineers
Overview
Introduction
Petroleum engineers apply the principles of geology, physics, and the engineering sciences to the recovery, development, and processing of petroleum. As soon as an exploration team has located an area that could contain oil or gas, petroleum engineers begin their work, which includes determining the best location for drilling new wells, as well as the economic feasibility of developing them. They are also involved in operating oil and gas facilities, monitoring and forecasting reservoir performance, and using enhanced oil recovery t...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
The median annual salary for petroleum engineers was $135,690 in May 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The lowest paid 10 percent earned $77,340 or less. The top 10 percent earned $225,920 or more. Fifty percent of petroleum engineers earned between $104,020 and $176,990.
The Society of Petroleum Engineers reports that its professional members who were engineers received a...
Work Environment
Petroleum engineers work all over the world: the high seas, remote jungles, vast deserts, plains, and mountain ranges. Petroleum engineers who are assigned to remote, foreign locations may be separated from their families for long periods of time or be required to resettle their families when new job assignments arise. Those working overseas may live in company-supplied housing.
Some pet...
Outlook
Employment for petroleum engineers is expected to grow by 2 percent slower than the average for all occupations) from 2023 through 2033, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The need for engineers to support mining activities, specifically, will support some job growth. Some employment opportunities will increase due to a need to develop new extraction methods for getting more from ...