The median annual wage for petroleum engineers was $129,990 in May 2015.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $74,880, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $187,200.
In May 2015, the median annual wages for petroleum engineers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Engineering services
$155,940
Management of companies and enterprises
152,450
Oil and gas extraction
140,910
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing
122,700
Support activities for mining
106,120
Petroleum engineers typically work full time. However, about 2 in 5 worked more than 40 hours a week in 2014. Overtime may be necessary when traveling to and from drilling sites to help in their operation or respond to problems when they arise. When they are at a drilling site, it is common for these engineers to work in a rotation: on duty for 84 hours and then off duty for 84 hours.
Petroleum Engineers
Median annual wages, May 2015
Petroleum engineers
$129,990
Engineers
$90,060
Total, all occupations
$36,200
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics