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Average Petroleum Engineer Salary in China for 2026

A petroleum engineer in China earns about 369,300 CNY a year. That's 5% roughly in line with the national average of 351,900 CNY.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in China sit around 175,900 CNY a year, while the very top stretches to 582,700 CNY. Everything on this page is in Chinese yuan (CNY, symbol ¥), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in China, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

How much does a petroleum engineer make in China?

Average salary
369,300 CNY
30,775 CNY per month
Lowest reported
175,900 CNY
14,658 CNY per month
Highest reported
582,700 CNY
48,558 CNY per month

A typical petroleum engineer working in China brings home around 30,775 CNY a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 175,900 CNY, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 582,700 CNY for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior petroleum engineer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.

How petroleum engineer pay ranges in China

A good way to think about salary in China is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all petroleum engineers in China earn less than 385,300 CNY a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 254,700 CNY (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 504,400 CNY (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of petroleum engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 175,900 CNY. The highest stretch to 582,700 CNY, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

175,900
Low
385,300
Median
582,700
High
254,700
25th
504,400
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in CNY

Petroleum engineer pay by experience in China

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a petroleum engineer in China, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical petroleum engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    208,600 CNY
  • 2-5 Years
    +41% from previous
    294,700 CNY
  • 5-10 Years
    +32% from previous
    389,200 CNY
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    476,600 CNY
  • 15-20 Years
    +6% from previous
    507,300 CNY
  • 20+ Years
    +10% from previous
    556,000 CNY

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a petroleum engineer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Petroleum engineer pay by education in China

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving petroleum engineer pay in China. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average petroleum engineer salary in China broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    327,800 CNY
  • Master's Degree
    +43% from previous
    467,700 CNY

Petroleum engineer gender pay gap in China

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and China is no exception. Male petroleum engineers in China earn an average of 385,300 CNY a year, while female petroleum engineers earn around 361,500 CNY. That works out to a 7% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Petroleum Engineer gender pay gap

6%

Men earn this much more than women on average in China.

Men 385,300 CNY
Women 361,500 CNY

Pay raises for a petroleum engineer in China

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in China sees a raise of about 13% every 14 months, which works out to roughly 11% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in China, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in China:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education
    2%

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Petroleum engineer bonus rates in China

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

58%

58% of petroleum engineers in China reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a petroleum engineer a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 42% of petroleum engineers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in China

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Petroleum engineer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in China is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in China on average.

Public sector 362,200 CNY
Private sector 341,400 CNY

Petroleum engineer salary by city and region in China

Petroleum engineer pay is not even across China. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Guangdong
  • Guangzhou
  • Chongqing (city)
  • Henan
  • Shandong
  • Hunan
  • Chengdu
  • Beijing (city)
  • Sichuan
  • Jinan
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
GuangdongRegion431,100 CNY412,000 CNY221,500-658,300 CNY
GuangzhouCity428,400 CNY445,100 CNY204,000-672,600 CNY
Chongqing (city)City419,400 CNY450,300 CNY192,600-663,100 CNY
HenanRegion414,000 CNY420,100 CNY204,700-643,800 CNY
ShandongRegion413,900 CNY381,800 CNY221,500-623,700 CNY
HunanRegion407,300 CNY376,800 CNY218,900-615,300 CNY
ChengduCity406,300 CNY381,800 CNY214,000-615,700 CNY
Beijing (city)City403,100 CNY403,100 CNY201,100-625,000 CNY
SichuanRegion401,300 CNY419,400 CNY191,600-633,100 CNY
JinanCity401,300 CNY385,300 CNY208,600-615,700 CNY
JiangsuRegion399,900 CNY384,500 CNY208,600-615,000 CNY
Shanghai (city)City399,900 CNY399,900 CNY200,000-620,300 CNY
Tianjin (city)City398,300 CNY404,600 CNY196,800-619,800 CNY
AnhuiRegion396,300 CNY372,600 CNY209,700-603,400 CNY
YunnanRegion392,300 CNY399,900 CNY192,600-615,000 CNY
HebeiRegion390,000 CNY367,200 CNY207,700-596,100 CNY
ZhejiangRegion385,300 CNY409,000 CNY181,600-608,500 CNY
WuhanCity384,500 CNY384,500 CNY192,600-595,300 CNY
HangzhouCity381,800 CNY352,000 CNY204,000-573,500 CNY
HarbinCity381,800 CNY366,200 CNY197,600-581,000 CNY
GuangxiRegion378,300 CNY378,300 CNY189,300-585,900 CNY
HubeiRegion377,200 CNY397,900 CNY176,800-596,100 CNY
ShaanxiRegion371,100 CNY394,300 CNY174,000-587,800 CNY
Xi anCity369,900 CNY398,300 CNY169,000-588,500 CNY
HeilongjiangRegion369,300 CNY365,400 CNY190,500-572,200 CNY
FujianRegion367,900 CNY388,100 CNY172,400-580,600 CNY
QingdaoCity367,200 CNY396,300 CNY169,000-585,900 CNY
ShenzhenCity366,200 CNY383,300 CNY176,800-575,100 CNY
LiaoningRegion363,000 CNY394,800 CNY167,100-581,300 CNY
ShanxiRegion362,200 CNY362,200 CNY180,500-558,300 CNY
NanjingCity359,900 CNY351,900 CNY183,600-552,400 CNY
JiangxiRegion359,900 CNY359,900 CNY180,300-555,800 CNY
Chongqing (region)Region359,900 CNY366,200 CNY174,000-558,300 CNY
ShenyangCity357,700 CNY385,300 CNY163,800-568,500 CNY
SuzhouCity353,600 CNY375,200 CNY168,100-558,300 CNY
ChangchunCity351,900 CNY351,900 CNY174,000-544,800 CNY
ShantouCity351,200 CNY340,400 CNY183,700-538,600 CNY
JilinRegion349,300 CNY361,500 CNY168,100-548,800 CNY
Nei MonggolRegion348,300 CNY327,300 CNY185,100-533,100 CNY
WenzhouCity348,300 CNY357,300 CNY172,200-545,300 CNY
KunmingCity341,400 CNY327,300 CNY175,900-524,700 CNY
DalianCity340,400 CNY367,200 CNY158,700-541,700 CNY
DongguanCity340,400 CNY325,900 CNY176,800-518,900 CNY
GuizhouRegion332,500 CNY344,600 CNY159,400-520,900 CNY
Xinjiang UygurRegion330,900 CNY311,700 CNY174,000-504,400 CNY
ChangshaCity327,800 CNY345,700 CNY152,300-518,300 CNY
GansuRegion325,900 CNY301,800 CNY176,800-492,400 CNY
ZhengzhouCity325,800 CNY325,800 CNY161,300-501,400 CNY
FoshanCity325,800 CNY325,800 CNY161,300-502,200 CNY
FuzhouCity325,600 CNY330,900 CNY159,400-504,500 CNY
WuxiCity322,600 CNY308,300 CNY167,100-493,000 CNY
HainanRegion320,500 CNY345,700 CNY148,300-510,200 CNY
Shanghai (region)Region318,800 CNY305,600 CNY164,200-485,200 CNY
NingxiaRegion313,700 CNY308,300 CNY159,500-485,200 CNY
Beijing (region)Region313,700 CNY308,300 CNY159,500-485,200 CNY
QuanzhouCity312,400 CNY335,800 CNY143,200-493,000 CNY
XiamenCity311,700 CNY307,400 CNY159,400-480,600 CNY
QinghaiRegion301,800 CNY307,400 CNY148,300-467,100 CNY
Tianjin (region)Region301,700 CNY327,800 CNY138,200-483,800 CNY
Xizang [Tibet]Region299,500 CNY292,000 CNY152,000-459,700 CNY

Petroleum Engineer in China: FAQs

  • How much does a petroleum engineer make per month in China?

    A petroleum engineer in China earns about 30,775 CNY a month before tax, based on an annual average of 369,300 CNY.

  • What's the salary range for a petroleum engineer in China?

    Entry-level petroleum engineers in China start near 175,900 CNY. Top-end pay reaches around 582,700 CNY. The middle 50% of earners sit between 254,700 and 504,400 CNY.

  • Is the median petroleum engineer salary in China higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 385,300 CNY, higher than the average of 369,300 CNY. Half of petroleum engineers in China earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for petroleum engineers in China?

    Men working as a petroleum engineer in China earn around 7% more than women on average (385,300 vs 361,500 CNY a year).

  • Do petroleum engineers in China get bonuses?

    About 58% of petroleum engineers in China reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do petroleum engineers earn more in the public or private sector in China?

    In China, the public sector pays a petroleum engineer about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do petroleum engineers in China get a pay raise?

    A petroleum engineer in China sees a raise of around 13% every 14 months, equivalent to roughly 11% a year.