Petroleum Engineers Salary
The median pay for a petroleum engineers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $169,870/year ($81.67/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $90K at the entry level to $289K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $172,230 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,573/month, or 14.4% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $170K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About petroleum engineers
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands sits well above the national pay line for petroleum engineers, local pay runs about 17% higher than the U.S. median of $145K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,573/month, 14.9% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Combined with manageable housing costs, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands offers a genuinely strong financial position for petroleum engineerss at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for petroleum engineers in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Midland | $172K | $180K |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $169K | $164K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $120K | $127K |
| Odessa | $136K | $144K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level petroleum engineers (10th percentile) start around $90K. Mid-career wages sit at $170K. Top earners bring in $289K or more, a $199K spread from bottom to top.
Petroleum Engineers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Petroleum Engineers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $206K | +42% | 280 |
| Utah | $173K | +19% | 280 |
| Colorado | $172K | +19% | 1,390 |
| Texas | $165K | +14% | 9,140 |
| Oklahoma | $153K | +6% | 1,450 |
| California | $144K | -1% | 1,060 |
| Louisiana | $140K | -4% | 710 |
| Washington | $135K | -7% | 190 |
| North Dakota | $132K | -9% | 130 |
| Kansas | $116K | -20% | 110 |
| Montana | $104K | -28% | N/A |
| Pennsylvania | $102K | -30% | 600 |
| Nebraska | $101K | -30% | 150 |
| New Mexico | $100K | -31% | 260 |
| Ohio | $99K | -32% | 200 |
| West Virginia | $93K | -36% | 380 |
Showing 1–10 of 16 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track petroleum engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a petroleum engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Yes — at the median salary of $170K, rent takes 14.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for petroleum engineers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new petroleum engineers typically earn — is $90K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,399/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 29% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is petroleum engineer a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Local pay is 17% above the national median — $170K here vs. $145K nationally.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for petroleum engineers?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $170K median vs. the U.S. average of $145K — that’s +17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $172K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do petroleum engineers make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $169,870 a year, that works out to about $82 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $89,990, and experienced petroleum engineers can clear $288,530. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $170K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $10,572/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 14.9% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a petroleum engineers salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median petroleum engineers salary is worth about $172,230 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do petroleum engineers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.