How to Become a Petroleum Engineer in Texas: Salary & Requirements (2026)
Quick answer: The median petroleum engineer salary in Texas is $164,860 per year - 14% above the national median of $144,910 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The career requires a 4-year degree: ABET-accredited bachelor’s in petroleum, mechanical, or chemical engineering.
How to Become a Petroleum Engineer in Texas
1. Earn an ABET-accredited bachelor’s
Petroleum engineering, or mechanical/chemical engineering with an energy focus for more flexibility.
2. Use field experience
Rig, completions, or service-company time is a hiring differentiator operators explicitly screen for.
3. Start as a field or operations engineer
Drilling, completions, and production engineering are the entry tracks.
4. Ride the cycle deliberately
Skills transfer to geothermal, carbon storage, and energy consulting when oil hiring cools.
5. Advance
Senior reservoir engineer, drilling superintendent, or asset management.
Requirements in Texas
The education path is national - ABET-accredited bachelor’s in petroleum, mechanical, or chemical engineering - while licensing runs through the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors: PE license for some roles; not required for most operator jobs. Verify current requirements with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors before enrolling, as details change.
Petroleum Engineer Salary in Texas
| Wage level | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| Texas entry level (10th percentile) | $89,990 |
| Texas 25th-75th percentile | $123,450 - $220,330 |
| Texas median | $164,860 |
| Texas top earners (90th percentile) | $283,500 |
| U.S. median | $144,910 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. State employment: 9,140.
The Texas Job Market: Petroleum Engineer
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Employed in Texas | 9,140 |
| Jobs per 1,000 in the state | 0.65 |
| Concentration vs U.S. (location quotient) | 5.60 |
| Mean annual wage in Texas | $171,580 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. With a location quotient of 5.60, Texas employs petroleum engineers at a noticeably higher concentration than the national average: a strong local market for the credential.
Salary Nationwide
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th | $81,440 |
| 25th | $106,270 |
| 50th (median) | $144,910 |
| 75th | $197,920 |
| 90th | $253,200 |
Job Outlook
| Year | Employment |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 19,600 |
| 2034 projected | 19,800 |
| Percent change | +1.3% |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a petroleum engineer make in Texas?
The median annual wage for petroleum engineers in Texas is $164,860 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 14% above the national median of $144,910.
How to become a petroleum engineer in Texas?
The core path is the same nationwide - ABET-accredited bachelor's in petroleum, mechanical, or chemical engineering - with licensing through the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors: PE license for some roles; not required for most operator jobs. See the steps on this page.
How many petroleum engineers work in Texas?
BLS counts about 9,140 petroleum engineers employed in Texas (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Petroleum Engineer in Nearby States
- Petroleum Engineer in Oklahoma
- Petroleum Engineer in Pennsylvania
- Petroleum Engineer in Utah
- Petroleum Engineer in Washington
Related
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Petroleum Engineers (SOC 17-2171), Texas and national
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
Data sources
Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.
| Data | Provider | Vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | May 2025 |
| Employment Projections | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | 2024-2034 |
| Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System | National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS) | 2024 |
| College Scorecard (school-level outcomes) | U.S. Department of Education | latest release |
| College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings) | U.S. Department of Education | latest release (updated 2026-06-12) |
| Occupational licensing requirements | CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) | latest release (updated 2026-02-22) |
| Registered apprenticeship programs | CareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor) | latest release (updated 2025-10-25) |
| O*NET occupation profiles (skills, tasks, tools, job zones) | U.S. Department of Labor (O*NET / Employment & Training Admin.) | O*NET 29.1 (updated 2026-06-13) |