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Mud Engineer Salary Texas, United States
Average Base Salary
Average Hourly Rate
$61.02 (USD)/hr
Average Bonus
$5,077 (USD)/yr
Compensation Data Based on Experience
The average mud engineer gross salary in Texas, United States is $126,922 or an equivalent hourly rate of $61. This is 1% higher (+$1,555) than the average mud engineer salary in the United States. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $5,077. Salary estimates based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in Texas, United States. An entry level mud engineer (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $88,318. On the other end, a senior level mud engineer (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of $157,785.
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ERI’s compensation data are based on salary surveys conducted and researched by ERI. Cost of labor data in the Assessor Series are based on actual housing sales data from commercially available sources, plus rental rates, gasoline prices, consumables, medical care premium costs, property taxes, effective income tax rates, etc.
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Estimated Salary in 2027:
$141,511 (USD)
5 Year Change:
11 %
Based on our compensation data, the estimated salary potential for Mud Engineer will increase 11 % over 5 years.
Designs equipment
100%
This chart displays the highest level of education for:
Mud Engineer, the majority at 46% with bachelors.
See how education can impact your salary
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Chicago
4.6 % -
Salt Lake City
5.5 % -
San Jose
21.
3 %
-
New Hampshire
1.1 % -
North Dakota
6.3 % -
Utah
6. 9 %
3 %
9 %
-
Czech Republic
201.3 % -
Ecuador
167.4 % -
India
498. 8 %
-
Switzerland
2.9 % -
United States
1.2 %
8 %
Texas, United States
The cost of living in Texas, United States is 10% less than the average cost of living in the United States. Cost of living is calculated based on accumulating the cost of food, transportation, health services, rent, utilities, taxes, and miscellaneous.
View Cost of Living Page
Texas (, also locally ; Spanish: Texas, Tejas) is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by both area (after Alaska) and population (after California). Texas shares borders with the states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas…
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Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.
Read More
account_balance SDS Petroleum Consultants, LLC
location_on Tyler
Mud Engineer Regular Full-Time Cotton Valley and Haynesville Shale SDS Petroleum Consultants is seeking local candidates for a Mud Engineering position.
This candidate would need to have experience …
account_balance Geolog Americas Inc
location_on Houston
Positions range from sample catcher, geologist mud logger, data engineer and technician. We are looking for both experienced and new graduates to join our growing team. If you are or have: * Geology …
account_balance NES Fircroft
location_on Houston
Mud Logging Analyst is responsible for delivering safe, efficient, and reliable Product Service … With more than 100 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering …
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Quickly search for salaries in other careers and locations in our salary database.
Job Title
City, State, Country or US Zip Code
This page is a promotion for SalaryExpert’s Assessor Series and is not intended for professional use.
Professionals should subscribe to SalaryExpert’s Assessor Platform.
ERI’s compensation data are based on salary surveys conducted and researched by ERI. Cost of labor data in the Assessor Series are based on actual housing sales data from commercially available sources, plus rental rates, gasoline prices, consumables, medical care premium costs, property taxes, effective income tax rates, etc.
Designs equipment
100%
See how skills can impact your salary
-
Chicago
4. 6 %
-
Salt Lake City
5.5 % -
San Jose
21.3 % -
New Hampshire
1. 1 %
-
North Dakota
6.3 % -
Utah
6.9 %
6 %
1 %
-
Czech Republic
201. 3 %
-
Ecuador
167.4 % -
India
498.8 % -
Switzerland
2. 9 %
-
United States
1.2 %
3 %
9 %
Learn About Our Products
SalaryExpert, powered by ERI, provides verified salary and cost of living data to the public with a comprehensive platform for evaluating compensation, career, relocation, and education decisions.
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Mud Engineer Salary: What You’ll Make and Why
According to various salary aggregate websites, a mud engineer’s salary in the US ranges between $60,930 and $99,157, with an average salary of $87,155.
As of July 2022, the base salaries for mud engineers are listed as follows:
| Payscale | ZipRecruiter | Indeed | Salary.com | Glassdoor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $99,157 | $60,930 | $88,085 | $93,937 | $93,666 |
Keep in mind: Salary aggregate websites typically rely on data submitted anonymously by individuals using their site. Some websites may have received larger amounts of data of either higher or lower than average salaries, which may affect the site’s calculated average.
Read more: What Is a Mud Engineer? How to Become One
What influences a salary?
The salary of a Mud Engineer is determined by a number of factors, including education, experience, and job location. In this article, we will take a closer look at how these factors impact salary.
Years of experience
Salary increases are generally tied to your experience level. In general, the more years you spend working as a mud engineer, the more you can expect to earn. Here’s how experience can impact your mud engineer salary, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Compensation Survey.
| Level of experience | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry-level (less than 1 year) | $50,500 |
| Early career (1 to 4 years) | $66,294 |
| Mid career (5 to 9 years) | $81,912 |
| Experienced (10 to 19 years) | $106,751 |
| Late career (20+ years) | $129,888 |
Location
Where you live can also impact how much you can make as a mud engineer. Typically, working in a large metropolitan area correlates to a higher salary, as well as a higher cost of living.
Here is a list of some major cities with their corresponding average mud engineer salary according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| City | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Washington DC, DC | $104,827 |
| San Francisco, CA | $102,549 |
| Seattle, WA | $102,337 |
| Houston, TX | $100,658 |
| Houston, TX | $99,905 |
| Omaha, NE | $74,724 |
| Nashville, TN | $72,591 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $69,445 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $62,233 |
| Washington DC, DC | $59,427 |
How does this compare to similar jobs?
Here’s how a mud engineer’s salary stacks up against similar jobs.
| Related Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Drilling Engineer | $146,077 |
| Reservoir Engineer | $145,825 |
| Production Engineer | $76,523 |
| Completion Engineer | $77,908 |
| Geologist | $69,617 |
| Petrophysicist | $134,239 |
| Drilling Superintendent | $118,020 |
| Field Service Representative | $45,005 |
| Operations Geologist | $72,556 |
How to increase your mud engineer salary
Now that you have a better idea of what you could expect to earn as a mud engineer, let’s look at ways to boost your salary.
1. Strengthen your skills
Pursuing and improving in-demand skills could make you more competitive for promotions and higher-paying positions. These skills include:
- Mud Properties: Understand the physical and chemical properties of drilling muds and how they can impact drilling operations
- Mud Lab Testing: Perform laboratory tests on drilling muds to assess their properties and performance
- Mud Circulation: Monitor drilling mud circulation and identify issues that could impact drilling operations
- Mud Logging: Create mud logs that document drilling mud properties and changes over time
- Mud Treatment: Treat drilling muds to improve their properties or correct issues identified during testing or circulation
2. Negotiate your job offer
When you’re offered a job, be sure to negotiate your salary. This is especially important if you’re offered a job that’s lower than what you’re currently making.
Be prepared to explain why you deserve a higher salary, and have data to back up your claims. If you’re successful, you could end up with a much higher salary than you originally expected.
3. Get a good performance review
Mud engineers are responsible for the design and implementation of mud systems used in drilling operations. If you want to earn a higher salary, aim to get positive feedback from your superiors. A good performance review can help you demonstrate your value to the company and make the case for a raise.
Article Sources
1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “National Compensation Survey, https://www.bls.gov/ncs/.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
2. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Employment and Wages, https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes172171.htm.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
3. Payscale. “Mud Engineer Salary, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Mud_Engineer/Salary.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
4. Ziprecruiter. “MUD Engineer Annual Salary, https://www.
ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/MUD-Engineer-Salary.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
5. Indeed. “Indeed Salary Finder, https://www.indeed.com/career/salaries.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
6. Salary.com. “Mud Engineer Salary, https://www.salary.com/research/salary/position/mud-engineer-salary.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
7. Glassdoor. “Mud Engineer Salaries, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/mud-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,12.htm.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
oilman from St. Petersburg about working on a drilling platform in China
Marcel Idrisov from St. Petersburg has been working in the oil and gas industry since 2007. He is a drilling fluids engineer. In 2013, he managed to get a job in China, and after this experience he no longer worked in Russia.
He told NEFT about the strict hierarchy and how the Chinese system affects the Chinese themselves
Always dreamed of working abroad where foreign vacancies appear. And at some point in a foreign company where I worked, I was offered to work in China.
I was a little afraid. In Russia, I had a stable job, a child was already born. And going abroad is almost like starting all over again. Moreover, there was only a six-month contract. But with payment in dollars.
My senior colleague, who had also left Russia for China before, helped me decide. He picked the right words, motivated me. I took a risk and, having collected a standard set of documents (a work visa and papers from the company), I left. These were offshore fields in the South China Sea.
I already knew English well then, because I won a grant for studying while still at the institute, and I studied the language myself in my free time – I watched films and read books in the original. But he didn’t learn Chinese, because he didn’t see the point in immersing himself in a complex language for the sake of a six-month contract.
How I overcame the language barrier
I went there as a drilling fluids engineer, and the duties were basically the same.
During the drilling process, the well is flushed, our task is to control the parameters of the drilling fluid so that they meet the program requirements.
The working day there was no different from any other country, the shifts were from six in the morning to six in the evening. At 5.45 I came from my cabin to the workplace, my partner and I planned, and I got to work.
Photo: personal Instagram account
We were responsible for the solution, for the inventory. I took measurements in the morning, then answered emails, did paperwork. And so on until the end of the working day. We had tea or coffee breaks every three hours.
The only thing that bothered me was the language barrier. When you go there, there can be people from 20 different countries. And sometimes it was hard to understand someone, hard to explain. In addition, it was necessary to use technical English, which was also difficult.
And when I first came to China, I ended up on a drilling rig, where I was the only expat.
There, out of the locals, only two or three people could speak English with me, and the rest had a very weak level. It was not very comfortable, but I quickly got used to it – I communicated with my hands, notes. In the end, this did not interfere with work.
The Chinese are afraid of the authorities
The Chinese are very good workers. They are efficient and communicative. You don’t have to run after them, it’s enough to explain the task once and that’s it. And everything is always calm and organized with them.
They are open by themselves, I spent a lot of time communicating with them. There were always some common interests and themes. But it is clear that they have a slightly different mindset. They are afraid of their system, they are afraid to say something superfluous. Chinese people living in China don’t want to talk about politics at all, for example.
Photo: Anna Ratkoglo, RIA Novosti
Interestingly, they have a strict hierarchy. It can be seen that the subordinates have a reverent appeal to the boss. They are even afraid to approach them as if they try not to disturb them once again. This is noticeable both at the rig and in the office. And any decision is made by the boss.
In the Western world, even in Russia, for example, this is not the case. I work in an American company, and the employees there are not shy, they can turn to their superiors on any issue.
I could only eat rice
My first rig had Chinese food. This is not at all what we serve in Chinese restaurants, believe me. And this became my biggest problem in China
I’ll tell you honestly, I couldn’t even go to the canteen sometimes. Not that this smell was unpleasant, it was rather unusual, but repulsive. It was the smell of their incomprehensible spices.
Photo: Maria Plotnikova, RIA Novosti
And sometimes, when he came, he could not understand what he was eating. Some incomprehensible meat of a small animal with small bones. So I didn’t understand what it was. And everything is terribly sharp! Therefore, in the end, I only ate rice there. Then I switched to the project of the Italian Eni, where there were a lot of expats. And there was good food, high-speed internet and leisure. Much better than on the Chinese platform.
And our cabin was arranged as standard for platforms, two berths. My partner and I changed: while I was working, he was sleeping, and vice versa. It was comfortable, you are always alone in the room.
The Chinese oil industry is better than the Russian one
The last time I worked in our oil industry was in 2013. And I don’t know how it is now, but at that time in any country, wherever I worked, everything was better organized than in our country. China is no exception.
In terms of organization, safety, planning, Russia has always been the last place for me to work. There is a more professional approach in all countries. I repeat, this is according to my recollections in 2013.
Photo: Evgeniy Odinokov, RIA Novosti
They paid $550 a day
Compared to Russia, my salary was about three times higher – $550 a day, or about $16.5 thousand a month. Then the dollar was, of course, not so big, but even at that time it was good money.
And practically did not bear any expenses. I could go out to eat somewhere when I was in the city, nothing more. Three weeks before work, I lived in Shenzhen in a corporate apartment in one of the richest areas of the city. And I also had a driver who took me on business matters. In general, the company paid for everything.
Left due to disagreements with new bosses
In China, I had a very warm relationship with the director of our Asia department. He generally wanted to leave me permanently in China, and this option suited me.
Photo: Pixabay
However, fortunately for him and unfortunately for me, he was promoted to Houston and replaced by a local manager. The first thing he did was to take a course to reduce costs. He told me, they say, you can stay, but with a lower salary.
Naturally, I refused. Of course, I was a little worried, but I knew that now I would not be lost – all the possibilities were in my hands. This trip gave me a lot of confidence. I realized: my competencies are enough for everything, I can cope with everything.
U.S. oil industry salary, overview by specialty
2019-12-13
As a result of the development of the U.S. oil industry, new jobs are opening up for oil specialists. Highly qualified workers are especially in demand, it turned out as a result of the survey. Below we consider popular specialties in American oil companies and the average salary for them.
Use a currency converter to convert to the equivalent of a monetary unit that you understand, for example, to the Russian ruble
- Accountant – due to the large document flow, accountants who are well versed in taxes are always in demand.
Average salary of tax accountants = 5 670 USD per month;
- Derrick Hand – Derrick, this is a folding tower. The job is to control the drilling fluid, ensuring the smooth operation of pumps and other auxiliary drilling mechanisms. Derrick Hand average salary = 5 750 USD per month;
- Driller – as a rule, this is a specialist in whose submission a team of workers. Its tasks include the control of drilling operations performed. Average salary of a driller = 8 300 USD per month;
- Geologist – by relying on a good geologist, the company will be provided with the best rocks for oil production. Experienced geologists with 10-15 years of experience will receive on average for their work = 12 750 USD ;
- Motorhand – in other words, a mechanic who maintains water pumps, boilers, steam lines and various other units, mechanical components in an oil production installation.
Average remuneration of minders = 5 030 USD per month;
- Field Engineer – Responsible for monitoring correct drilling progress, recording results and improving efficiency. Average Monthly Engineer Salary = 5,250 – 6,660 USD ;
- Roughneck is a member of the drilling team who performs laborious labor associated with drilling, assigned by higher personnel. Average monthly salary of an employee = 2 890 USD , employees can receive = 4 300 USD ;
- Leasehand – whose duties are to clean and prepare the environment for the work of the rest of the staff. Average monthly salary = 3 600 USD ;
- Toolpusher is the most important person on the rig, responsible for personnel, equipment and all activities on the site. Drilling master salary = 6 690 USD ;
- Truck driver – there are always vacancies for truck drivers.