DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
17-2171 Petroleum Engineers
Occupational Description:
Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.| Percentiles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| Minnesota | 50 | 12 | $64.57/hr | $13.50/hr | $32.82/hr | $38.31/hr | $57.76/hr | $78.57/hr | $81.00/hr |
| U S | 32,620 | 1,370 | $76.15/hr | $1.90/hr | $38.50/hr | $51.98/hr | $66.90/hr | $93.95/hr | $81.00/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
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| Occupation (click title for details) | OES | Projections | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | Median Wage | % Change 2020 - 2030 | |
| Industrial Engineering Technicians | 3,500 | $25.26/hr | 4.4% |
| Mechanical Engineering Technicians | 1,330 | $29.78/hr | 4.1% |
| Materials Engineers | 320 | $44.88/hr | 5.7% |
| Electrical and Electronics Drafters | 310 | $32.38/hr | N/A |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 230 | $38.63/hr | 5.2% |
| Aerospace Engineers | 220 | $55.97/hr | 16.4% |
| Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | 50 | $43.36/hr | 2.2% |
Tasks for Petroleum Engineers
- Designs or modifies mining and oil field machinery and tools, applying engineering principles.
- Develops plans for oil and gas field drilling, and for product recovery and treatment.
- Confers with scientific, engineering, and technical personnel to resolve design, research and testing problems.
- Conducts engineering research experiments to improve or modify mining and oil machinery and operations.
- Evaluates findings to develop, design, or test equipment or processes.
- Analyzes data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
- Coordinates activities of workers engaged in research, planning, and development.
- Assigns work to staff to obtain maximum utilization of personnel.
- Inspects oil and gas wells to determine that installations are completed.
- Writes technical reports for engineering and management personnel.
- Tests machinery and equipment to ensure conformance to performance specifications and to ensure safety.
- Interprets drilling and testing information for personnel.
- Assists engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.
- Monitors production rates, and plans rework processes to improve production.
