Salary comparison
Chemical Engineer vs Petroleum Engineer salary
Petroleum Engineers out-earn chemical engineers by about $19,420 at the median. Here is the full side-by-side breakdown — pay range, top states, and experience.
Petroleum Engineers earn more — a median of $141,280 versus $121,860 for chemical engineers, a gap of about $19,420 (16%). Both figures are published national wage benchmarks.
Chemical Engineer
Verified$121,860
Median annual wage
- Entry (10th pct)
- $78,520
- Top 10%
- $182,150
- Discipline
- Architecture & Engineering
Petroleum Engineer
Verified$141,280
Median annual wage
- Entry (10th pct)
- $78,840
- Top 10%
- $228,790
- Discipline
- Architecture & Engineering
Chemical Engineer vs Petroleum Engineer — pay distribution
Percentile-by-percentile comparison of national annual wages.
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentileChemical Engineer | $78,520 |
| MedianChemical Engineer | $121,860 |
| 90th percentileChemical Engineer | $182,150 |
| 10th percentilePetroleum Engineer | $78,840 |
| MedianPetroleum Engineer | $141,280 |
| 90th percentilePetroleum Engineer | $228,790 |
Pay by experience
Modeled progression from entry to principal level for each role (estimated from the national percentile curve).
Chemical Engineer
Petroleum Engineer
Where each role pays most
Highest-paying states by published median wage.
Chemical Engineer
- Oklahoma$160,990
- New Mexico$147,290
- West Virginia$139,730
- Texas$135,160
- Virginia$132,550
Which should you choose?
On pay alone, petroleum engineers earn about 16% more at the median — but location and specialization routinely move pay by more than that gap.
Pick chemical engineer if…
Chemical engineers apply chemistry, physics, and biology to design processes that produce chemicals, fuels, drugs, and food.
- ▹Industry (oil & gas and pharma pay above commodities)
- ▹Process vs. R&D vs. plant operations
- ▹Years of experience
Pick petroleum engineer if…
Petroleum engineers design methods for extracting oil and gas from deposits below the earth's surface.
- ▹Oil price cycles (pay is volatile)
- ▹Reservoir vs. drilling vs. production focus
- ▹Years of experience
Chemical Engineer vs Petroleum Engineer — frequently asked
Who earns more, chemical engineers or petroleum engineers?
What is the salary range for chemical engineers vs petroleum engineers?
Should I become a chemical engineer or a petroleum engineer?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2041 (Chemical Engineers), national.
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →