Petroleum engineers
SOC Code: 17-2171
Petroleum engineers carries a 42% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $141,280 and +1.3% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 19,600 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 42% AI exposure, Petroleum engineers sits 5 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 75% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
55/100
Petroleum engineers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage A+ $141,280
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F +1.3%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 42% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Petroleum engineers in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's band with mid-pack BLS pace
Petroleum engineers shares the Bachelor's gate with 178 peer occupations and lands in Slow growth (245 of 832). Neither the rarest nor the most crowded growth shelf - use wage and AI desks on this page for the differentiator.
Where Petroleum engineers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Petroleum engineers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
42% Around the middle lower than 25% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Petroleum engineers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Petroleum engineers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Petroleum engineers's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 17-2171) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Petroleum engineers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Petroleum engineers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.
- 2. Test machinery and equipment to ensure that it is safe and conforms to performance specifications.
- 3. Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.
- 4. Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
- 5. Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
- 6. Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.
- 7. Assign work to staff to obtain maximum utilization of personnel.
- 8. Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys.
- 9. Develop plans for oil and gas field drilling, and for product recovery and treatment.
- 10. Assess costs and estimate the production capabilities and economic value of oil and gas wells, to evaluate the economic viability of potential drilling sites.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Systems Analysis
- Systems Evaluation
- Active Learning
Knowledge Areas
- Engineering and Technology
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Computers and Electronics
- Chemistry
- Administration and Management
- Economics and Accounting
- Administrative
- English Language
- Design
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Petroleum engineers?
Petroleum engineers has an AI exposure score of 42%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Petroleum engineers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Petroleum engineers is projected to grow by 1.3% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 19,600 workers.
What skills are needed for Petroleum engineers?
Key skills for Petroleum engineers include Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Petroleum engineers earn?
The median annual wage for Petroleum engineers is $141,280, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Petroleum engineers?
The typical entry-level education for Petroleum engineers is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Petroleum engineers?
Petroleum engineers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Petroleum engineers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (42% here).
- Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary · AI exposure 42%
- Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance · AI exposure 42%
- Flight attendants · AI exposure 42%
- Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists · AI exposure 42%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+1.3% here).
- Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door · growth +1.3%
- Instructional coordinators · growth +1.3%
- Financial clerks, all other · growth +1.4%
- Rehabilitation counselors · growth +1.4%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 15 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Petroleum engineers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Petroleum engineers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).