SOC 17-2171 · Architecture and Engineering Occupations · May 2025

How much do Petroleum Engineers make in Charleston, WV?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Petroleum Engineers in Charleston, WV is $88,860. The 10th percentile is $79,780 and the 90th percentile is $196,510. Employment is 80.

Median annual wage

$88,860

10th percentile
$79,780
25th percentile
$84,300
Median
$88,860
75th percentile
$108,130
90th percentile
$196,510
Mean
$112,480

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A U.S. Air Force firefighter standing beside a fire truck
Senior Airman Stephen Czech, a firefighter at Spangdahlem Air Base, in 2021. Photograph by Staff Sgt. Susan Roberts, U.S. Air Force. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Percentile spread

For Petroleum Engineers, the published 10th percentile is $79,780 and the 90th percentile is $196,510. The difference is $116,730, which is 131.4% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $84,300 to the 75th at $108,130, covers $23,830.

The mean annual wage is $112,480, which sits above the median of $88,860. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Charleston, WV median is 38.7% lower than the national median of $144,910 for Petroleum Engineers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $100,161, which is 30.9% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 4.8% lower than the West Virginia median of $93,360.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Charleston, WV is 88.717, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $88,860 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Petroleum Engineers at $100,161 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

2 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Petroleum Engineers. Charleston, WV ranks 3rd of 3 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Columbus, OH is 137 miles away, with a median of $99,260 and employment of 60. That median is 11.7% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $103,971, against $100,161 here.
  • Pittsburgh, PA is 174 miles away, with a median of $130,230 and employment of 210. That median is 46.6% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $137,561, against $100,161 here.

Employment share

Petroleum Engineers accounts for 0.08% of wage-and-salary employment in Charleston, WV (80 of 103,450). Nationally the occupation is 0.01% of employment (18,060 of 155,495,730). The local share is 6.66 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Charleston, WV · Petroleum Engineers by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Petroleum Engineers make in Charleston, WV?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Petroleum Engineers in Charleston, WV is $88,860. The 10th percentile is $79,780 and the 90th percentile is $196,510. Employment is 80.

How does that compare with the national median for Petroleum Engineers?

The local median is 38.7% lower than the national median of $144,910.

What is Petroleum Engineers pay in Charleston, WV after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Charleston, WV is 88.717, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $88,860 is $100,161. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Charleston, WV compare with nearby metros for Petroleum Engineers?

Columbus, OH is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 137 miles away, at $99,260. Charleston, WV ranks 3rd of 3 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.