GIS Study
Career Opportunities for
Graduating Geology Students
Produced Maps
Outcome
The states with the highest number of projected jobs in the geological and petroleum engineering field in 2021 are Texas (30856), Oklahoma (6593), California (3828), Louisiana (3707), and Colorado (2714). The states with the greatest amount of projected growth in this field by 2021 are Mississippi (280%), New York (176%), North Dakota (92%), Washington (60%) and Oklahoma (58%). These are the states in which graduates are recommended to look when searching for jobs in the geological or petroleum engineering field. States to avoid because of the projected decrease in jobs by 2021 include Massachusetts (-100%), New Jersey (-87%), Illinois (-86%), Maryland (-70%), and Alabama (-48%).
The median annual wage for petroleum engineers was $128,230 in May 2016
2016 – Highest Employment
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Texas (24,210)
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Oklahoma (4,170)
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California (3,750)
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Louisiana (2,620)
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Colorado (2,270)
Top 5 States with the Highest Mean Salary
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Colorado ($150,600)
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Texas ($147,725)
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Alaska ($147,585)
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Louisiana ($132,435)
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North Dakota ($128,830)
What does this mean at the national level?
While waiting for the oil industry to recover, a trend of booms and busts happen every few years. A direct impact of the U.S. oil and natural gas industry is measured on jobs, labor income, and value added within the industry. Through our analysis, we found the states with the highest number of employment through 2021 so graduates would be able to make an astute decision on where to begin his/her career. The states that had the largest number of available jobs in 2016 were Colorado, Louisiana, California, Oklahoma, and Texas. Through the forecast equation implemented, the results show that these remain the highest employing states in the country through 2021. We recommend that graduates look into petroleum and geological engineering jobs in Colorado, Texas, and Louisiana because of their high employment as well as their competitive salaries.
Downloadable Data
What do they do?
Petroleum engineers design ways to extract oil and natural gas from deposits below the Earth’s surface as well as look for other alternatives to increase the productivity of oil and gas from older wells. Petroleum engineers work closely with geologists to decide what type of well to drill, what equipment to use and monitor the progress of the entire drilling process. For an entry level position, a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering is necessary. With many programs at universities for master's degrees and teaching opportunities, a master's degree in petroleum engineering is beginning to become a requirement.
Animation
2021 – Highest Employment
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Texas (30,856)
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Oklahoma (6,593)
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California (3,828)
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Louisiana (3,707)
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Colorado (2,714)