Petroleum Engineers
SOC 17-2171 · 2024-2034
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.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $147,609per year
- Projected openings
- 650
- Projected change
- 0%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Systems Analysis
- Complex Problem Solving
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $167,747 | 140 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $155,350 | 30 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $143,743 | 160 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $100,261 | 120 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | Not reported | 10 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $63,509
- A quarter earn under
- $130,041
- Half earn under
- $147,609
- Three quarters earn under
- $176,794
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $213,175
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Engineers | Not reported | 1,130 | 0% |
| Civil Engineers | $125,929 | 38,210 | +8.2% |
| Industrial Production Managers | $134,845 | 18,120 | +0.8% |
| Industrial Engineers | $128,088 | 24,010 | +11.9% |
| Environmental Engineers | $134,061 | 3,690 | +6.4% |
| Mechanical Engineers | $134,564 | 20,280 | +11.5% |