Petroleum Engineers pay range in Houston
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $89,990 a year or less, while the top 10% make $288,530 or more. The middle half of petroleum engineers in Houston earn between $126,640 and $225,080.
- $90K10th
- $127K25th
- $170KMedian
- $225K75th
- $289K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $177,780 | $14,815 | $85.47 |
| Median | $169,870 | $14,156 | $81.67 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $126,640 | $10,553 | $60.88 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $225,080 | $18,757 | $108.21 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Petroleum Engineers salary after taxes in Houston
On the average salary of $177,780, a single filer in Houston takes home about $132,779 a year, or $11,065 a month and $5,107 every two weeks. Taxes take 25% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.
Is Houston a good place for petroleum engineers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Houston area are in line with the U.S. average (BEA price parity 98.6), so the average $177,780 buys what about $180,251 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 3.4 times the median wage of all jobs in Houston ($49,410). A typical home costs $308,306, or 1.7 years of this average salary before tax.
Petroleum Engineers salary in other Texas cities
Houston ranks 3rd of 12 Texas metro areas for this job; Midland pays the most ($184,150).
Highest-paying cities for petroleum engineers
Anchorage, AK pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($203,250).
- Anchorage, AK$203,250
- Midland, TX$184,150
- Denver, CO$179,920
- Dallas, TX$178,520
- Houston, TX$177,780
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Petroleum Engineers salary in Houston: questions
How much do petroleum engineers make an hour in Houston?
$85.47 an hour on average, and $81.67 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level petroleum engineers salary in Houston?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $89,990 a year and the 25th percentile is $126,640, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the petroleum engineers take-home pay in Houston?
About $132,779 a year ($11,065 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $177,780. Texas has no state income tax.
Do petroleum engineers earn more in Houston than elsewhere?
The average here is 5% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($169,205).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 17-2171; area Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (26420). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.5%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.
- Job concentration: location quotient 12.50, this job is 12.5 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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