Petroleum Engineering
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Petroleum Engineering occupation series (code 0881), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Engineering and Architecture Group family, Petroleum Engineering counts 278 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.4% from the prior period; pay averages $139,629, which pays above the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 278
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $139,629
- Avg tenure
- 13.8 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Petroleum Engineering
Federal agencies employ 278 people in the Petroleum Engineering occupation (OPM code 0881), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -0.4% versus the prior period, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend.
Average tenure in Petroleum Engineering runs 13.8 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $139,629 per year, up 0.1% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
Code 08, the Engineering and Architecture Group family, is where the federal government classifies Petroleum Engineering alongside 28 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Petroleum Engineering postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Engineering and Architecture Group family.
Petroleum Engineering makes up 0.2% of the 120,278 employees across the Engineering and Architecture Group family, ranking #23 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Petroleum Engineering pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$139,629
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+19.0%
Where Petroleum Engineering ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $139,629 is higher than 82% of federal occupation series (445 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Petroleum Engineering sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Petroleum Engineering ranks higher than 82%.
Related Occupations in Engineering and Architecture Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Engineering | 27,619 | $158,941 | 16.9 yrs |
| Engineering Technical | 14,443 | $93,062 | 15.2 yrs |
| Mechanical Engineering | 12,920 | $136,601 | 11.9 yrs |
| Electronics Engineering | 12,889 | $155,270 | 16.8 yrs |
| Civil Engineering | 10,260 | $124,230 | 14.7 yrs |
| Aerospace Engineering | 8,359 | $155,848 | 14.8 yrs |
| Electronics Technical | 7,298 | $103,713 | 15.6 yrs |
| Electrical Engineering | 5,231 | $142,419 | 13.5 yrs |
| Computer Engineering | 3,753 | $160,672 | 14.2 yrs |
| Nuclear Engineering | 2,813 | n/a | 13.5 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Petroleum Engineering outside the Engineering and Architecture Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (278 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($139,629 here).
Key takeaways
- Petroleum Engineering pays above the federal average by 19.0% ($139,629 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 82nd percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 278 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.4% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Petroleum Engineering ranks #374 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Petroleum Engineering makes up 0.2% of the 120,278 employees across the Engineering and Architecture Group family, ranking #23 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.