Petroleum Engineers

Occupation Title: Petroleum Engineers

Description: Devise methods to improve oil and gas well production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.

Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code: 17-2171

Sample Job Titles: Reservoir Engineer, Petroleum Engineer, Drilling Engineer, Petroleum Production Engineer, Engineer, Production Engineer, Operations Engineer, Completion Engineer, Completions Engineer, Drilling Manager.

Salary Chart Petroleum Engineers

Estimated Total Employment*
2008: 20,880
2009: 25,540
2010: 28,210
2011: 30,880
2012: 36,410

Data Source:
Bureau of Labor Statistics

Projected Job Openings (2010-2020): 11,800
Projected Growth (2010-2020): 10-19%
(total 10 year projection, not annual)

Data Source:
O*NET Online

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics program does not include self-employed workers in employment estimates. O*NET and other BLS programs do include self-employed workers.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. REC-0439914 and DRL-0910041 (Enhancing Departments and Graduate Education in Geography).

Suggested citation: Association of American Geographers, Jobs & Careers Website, Salary Data and Trends, http://www.aag.org/cs/salary_data_and_trends/salary_data_and_trends_overview (accessed mm//dd/yyyy).