SOC 17-2171 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Petroleum Engineers — Wichita
Wichita, KS
In Wichita, KS the median wage is $111,590.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow more slowly than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +1.3%
- Openings per year
- 1,200
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Wichita, KS.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
In Wichita, KS the median wage is $111,590. That is 23.0% lower than the national median of $144,910. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $104,620 and $193,080. The lowest tenth earn under $66,460, while the highest tenth earn more than $416,730.
The area has 40 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.16 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 27th of 480 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $66,460 | −54.1% |
| 25th | $104,620 | −27.8% |
| Median (50th) | $111,590 | −23.0% |
| 75th | $193,080 | +33.2% |
| 90th | $416,730 | +187.6% |
| Mean | $154,110 | +6.3% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Wichita run 11.1% below the national average, so the median of $111,590 goes as far as $125,523 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 13.4% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$111,590as reported by BLSLocal price level
88.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$125,523US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $111,590 a year, 23.0% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $66,460 to $416,730 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 40 jobs in this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Petroleum Engineers in Wichita, KS?
The median annual wage is $111,590, or $53.65 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $144,910, so pay in Wichita, KS is 23.0% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Wichita, KS earns more than $416,730 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $66,460 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 40 jobs in this occupation in Wichita, KS. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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