Texas · SOC 17-2171
Petroleum Engineer Salary in Texas
VerifiedPublished wages for petroleum engineers in Texas, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Petroleum Engineers in Texas earn a median of $153,200 per year ($158,990 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $119,680–$202,550; the top 10% earn $232,340. That is 8% above the national median of $141,280, ranking Texas #5 of 23 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$153,200
+8% vs national
Top 10% earn
$232,340
90th percentile
Employed in state
10,640
Reliability Moderate (10.3% RSE)
Petroleum Engineer pay distribution — Texas vs national
Every figure below is a published BLS percentile. Bars share one scale, so the two distributions compare directly.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $83,750 | +6% |
| 25th percentile | $119,680 | +12% |
| Median50th percentile | $153,200 | +8% |
| 75th percentile | $202,550 | +6% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $232,340 | +2% |
| Meanaverage | $158,990 | +4% |
Where petroleum engineers earn most in Texas
Metro areas in Texas where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 17-2171. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| AmarilloAmarillo, TX | $199,990 | $199,990 | 50 |
| AustinAustin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $184,250 | ≥$239,200 | 260 |
| BeaumontBeaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $167,090 | $201,050 | 160 |
| MidlandMidland, TX | $165,880 | $233,000 | 1,180 |
| Wichita FallsWichita Falls, TX | $160,890 | $197,620 | 60 |
| HoustonHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $159,990 | ≥$239,200 | 5,080 |
| DallasDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $154,490 | $223,220 | 1,100 |
| LubbockLubbock, TX | $143,120 | $204,290 | 160 |
| OdessaOdessa, TX | $134,280 | $210,860 | 310 |
| Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi, TX | $133,690 | $200,010 | 160 |
| El PasoEl Paso, TX | $127,480 | $172,170 | 40 |
| San AntonioSan Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $122,980 | $209,570 | 180 |
| College StationCollege Station-Bryan, TX | $114,810 | $197,220 | 40 |
| LongviewLongview, TX | $110,310 | $194,580 | 180 |
| TylerTyler, TX | $106,990 | $215,740 | 70 |
Texas engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
6.25
Jobs per 1,000
0.77
State rank (pay)
#5 of 23
All engineering roles
$120,423
A location quotient of 6.25 means Texas employs petroleum engineers at a meaningfully higher rate than the country as a whole — a genuine cluster for this discipline.
Frequently asked questions
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2171 (Petroleum Engineers), Texas (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →