A person working as a Petroleum Geologist in Canada typically earns around 203,000 CAD per year. Salaries range from 105,000 CAD (lowest) to 310,000 CAD (highest).
This is the average yearly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Petroleum Geologist salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Petroleum Geologist salaries in Canada range from 105,000 CAD per year (minimum salary) to 310,000 CAD per year (maximum salary).
The median salary is 195,000 CAD per year, which means that half (50%) of people working as Petroleum Geologist(s) are earning less than 195,000 CAD while the other half are earning more than 195,000 CAD. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Petroleum Geologist(s) are earning less than 135,000 CAD while 75% of them are earning more than 135,000 CAD. Also from the diagram, 75% of Petroleum Geologist(s) are earning less than 242,000 CAD while 25% are earning more than 242,000 CAD.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Petroleum Geologist salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Petroleum Geologist with less than two years of experience makes approximately 120,000 CAD per year.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 161,000 CAD per year, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 209,000 CAD per year, 30% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Petroleum Geologist(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 253,000 CAD per year, 21% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 276,000 CAD per year, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 291,000 CAD per year, 5% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 120,000 CAD | |
2 - 5 Years | +34% | 161,000 CAD |
5 - 10 Years | +30% | 209,000 CAD |
10 - 15 Years | +21% | 253,000 CAD |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 276,000 CAD |
20+ Years | +5% | 291,000 CAD |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Petroleum Geologist salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is Bachelor's Degree, the average salary of a Petroleum Geologist is 155,000 CAD per year.
While someone with a Master's Degree gets a salary of 191,000 CAD per year, 24% more than someone having a Bachelor's Degree degree.
A PhD gets its holder an average salary of 306,000 CAD per year, 60% more than someone with a Master's Degree.
Bachelor's Degree | 155,000 CAD | |
Master's Degree | +24% | 191,000 CAD |
PhD | +60% | 306,000 CAD |
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Canada costs anywhere from 49,800 Canadian Dollar(s) to 149,000 Canadian Dollar(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support the thoery. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Petroleum Geologist employees in Canada earn 5% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 208,000 CAD | |
Female | -4% | 198,000 CAD |
Petroleum Geologist(s) in Canada are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 14% every 15 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% granted to employees every 15 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 2% | |
Energy | 4% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 8% | |
Travel | 1% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 5% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Canada for the year 2021. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
A Petroleum Geologist is considered to be a moderate bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
43% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 57% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 5% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 57% | |
No Bonus | 43% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Petroleum Geologist is 88% more than that of Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining. Also, Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining salaries are 10% less than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Assistant Yard Manager | 103,000 CAD | ![]() |
Associate Analyst | 125,000 CAD | ![]() |
Associate Landman | 52,400 CAD | ![]() |
Auxiliary Equipment Operator | 44,800 CAD | ![]() |
Biomass Plant Technician | 53,700 CAD | ![]() |
Biomass Power Plant Manager | 160,000 CAD | ![]() |
Chemical Plant Operator | 86,600 CAD | ![]() |
Chief Contract Compliance Engineer | 116,000 CAD | ![]() |
Completions Engineer | 100,000 CAD | ![]() |
Cost Controller | 76,400 CAD | ![]() |
Crude Oil Marketing Representative | 123,000 CAD | ![]() |
Dispatcher | 47,000 CAD | ![]() |
Distribution Manager | 159,000 CAD | ![]() |
Dragline Operator | 51,500 CAD | ![]() |
Driller Offsider | 40,400 CAD | ![]() |
Dump Truck Driver | 45,000 CAD | ![]() |
Electric and Gas Operations Manager | 257,000 CAD | ![]() |
Energy Advisor | 174,000 CAD | ![]() |
Energy Analyst | 154,000 CAD | ![]() |
Energy Auditor | 141,000 CAD | ![]() |
Energy Dispatch Director | 182,000 CAD | ![]() |
Energy Technical Assistant | 67,300 CAD | ![]() |
Energy Technical Manager | 131,000 CAD | ![]() |
Energy Technical Trainer | 93,300 CAD | ![]() |
Exploration Manager | 192,000 CAD | ![]() |
Field Safety Auditor | 123,000 CAD | ![]() |
Fluids Engineer | 111,000 CAD | ![]() |
Fuel Cell Engineer | 118,000 CAD | ![]() |
Fuel Cell Technician | 58,500 CAD | ![]() |
Fuels Handler | 53,000 CAD | ![]() |
Gas Compressor Operator | 47,400 CAD | ![]() |
Gas Distribution Plant Operator | 91,300 CAD | ![]() |
Gas Supply Manager | 163,000 CAD | ![]() |
Geologist | 200,000 CAD | ![]() |
Geophysicist | 197,000 CAD | ![]() |
Geothermal Production Manager | 183,000 CAD | ![]() |
Geothermal Technician | 78,000 CAD | ![]() |
HSE Engineer | 112,000 CAD | ![]() |
HSE Officer | 70,600 CAD | ![]() |
HSEQ Administrator | 75,300 CAD | ![]() |
Inspector | 104,000 CAD | ![]() |
Instructor | 88,000 CAD | ![]() |
Instrument Designer | 88,500 CAD | ![]() |
Lead Technical Field Advisor | 145,000 CAD | ![]() |
Logistics and Tool Coordinator | 99,400 CAD | ![]() |
Maintenance Engineer | 113,000 CAD | ![]() |
Maintenance Superintendent | 98,800 CAD | ![]() |
Material Controller | 76,900 CAD | ![]() |
Mine Engineer | 112,000 CAD | ![]() |
Mine Surveyor | 120,000 CAD | ![]() |
Mining Project Administrator | 93,700 CAD | ![]() |
Mining Project Assistant | 75,700 CAD | ![]() |
Mining Project Controls Consultant | 124,000 CAD | ![]() |
Mining Project Coordinator | 101,000 CAD | ![]() |
Mining Project Engineer | 106,000 CAD | ![]() |
Mining Project Manager | 142,000 CAD | ![]() |
Mining Site Manager | 150,000 CAD | ![]() |
Mining Team Leader | 116,000 CAD | ![]() |
NDT Technician | 64,400 CAD | ![]() |
Oil Service Unit Operator | 57,100 CAD | ![]() |
Oil Trader | 141,000 CAD | ![]() |
Oilwell Pumper | 40,800 CAD | ![]() |
Petroleum Engineer | 130,000 CAD | ![]() |
Petroleum Geologist | 203,000 CAD | ![]() |
Petroleum Pump System Operator | 63,800 CAD | ![]() |
Pipeline Technician | 40,700 CAD | ![]() |
Power Coordinator | 66,300 CAD | ![]() |
Power Plant Operations Manager | 216,000 CAD | ![]() |
Power Plant Operator | 91,100 CAD | ![]() |
Radio Operator | 50,500 CAD | ![]() |
Reliability Engineer | 105,000 CAD | ![]() |
Reservoir Engineer | 105,000 CAD | ![]() |
Risk Analyst | 136,000 CAD | ![]() |
Roughneck | 108,000 CAD | ![]() |
Scaffolder | 73,600 CAD | ![]() |
Shutdown Engineer | 95,700 CAD | ![]() |
Solar Energy Installation Manager | 158,000 CAD | ![]() |
Solar Energy Systems Engineer | 116,000 CAD | ![]() |
Solar Photovoltaic Installer | 68,500 CAD | ![]() |
Solar Thermal Technician | 67,700 CAD | ![]() |
Supply Operations Manager | 174,000 CAD | ![]() |
Sustainability Specialist | 180,000 CAD | ![]() |
System Development Advisor | 125,000 CAD | ![]() |
Tanker Truck Driver | 44,600 CAD | ![]() |
Utility Operator | 56,700 CAD | ![]() |
Wind Energy Project Manager | 148,000 CAD | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Brampton | 193,000 CAD |
Calgary | 212,000 CAD |
Edmonton | 205,000 CAD |
Gatineau | 180,000 CAD |
Halifax | 197,000 CAD |
Hamilton | 201,000 CAD |
Kitchener | 202,000 CAD |
Markham | 196,000 CAD |
Mississauga | 212,000 CAD |
Montreal | 207,000 CAD |
Ottawa | 199,000 CAD |
Quebec | 209,000 CAD |
Regina | 174,000 CAD |
Richmond | 169,000 CAD |
Saskatoon | 180,000 CAD |
Surrey | 197,000 CAD |
Toronto | 214,000 CAD |
Vancouver | 221,000 CAD |
Vaughan | 187,000 CAD |
Windsor | 180,000 CAD |
Winnipeg | 195,000 CAD |
State | Average Salary |
Alberta | 221,000 CAD |
British Columbia | 209,000 CAD |
Manitoba | 203,000 CAD |
New Brunswick | 179,000 CAD |
Newfoundland-Labrador | 189,000 CAD |
Northwest Territories | 204,000 CAD |
Nova Scotia | 187,000 CAD |
Nunavut | 201,000 CAD |
Ontario | 232,000 CAD |
Prince Edward Island | 175,000 CAD |
Quebec | 216,000 CAD |
Saskatchewan | 203,000 CAD |
Yukon | 182,000 CAD |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Canada earn 4% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 117,000 CAD | |
Public Sector | +4% | 122,000 CAD |