25 of the Highest Paying Fuel Jobs in 2026

The best Fuel jobs can pay up to $128,000 per year.

High Paying Fuel Jobs

• Miner

  Salary range: $30,000 - $128,000

  A miner is a laborer who extracts coal or other minerals from underground blocks. Job duties include navigating through mine tunnels to excavation sites, operating specialized machinery and equipment, following safety regulations, and working with a team. Working in the mining blocks typically includes long hours, and you must work in all weather conditions to keep up with demand. Career qualifications for a miner include formal training through a Mine Safety and Health Administration approved program and certification.

• Pipeline Superintendent

  Salary range: $67,500 - $128,000

  A pipeline superintendent oversees field construction projects to ensure they are completed on schedule and within budget while making safety the linchpin of all activities for a zero-incidence goal. Your responsibilities also include compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations along with OHSA requirements for employee safety. Duties involve planning and allocation of resources which may include coordinating with other contractors on a pipeline system. Keen soft skills such as excellent communication and problem-solving are essential. It is also imperative to improve employee efficiency and compliance with established procedures as part of the management duties of this position.

• Petroleum Engineer

  Salary range: $44,000 - $114,000

  Petroleum Engineers design ways to extract materials from Earth to boost energy production. They utilize a variety of methods and technologies to devise ways to gather petroleum, oil, and gas, and determine the most cost efficient method of extracting these materials. Petroleum Engineers travel across the planet to develop oil and gas reserves where no one has drilled before. Petroleum Engineers can follow a few different specialities such as Drilling, Production, and Resevoir Engineer.

• Gas Engineer

  Salary range: $76,000 - $113,000

  In the petroleum industry, gas engineers, also known as petroleum engineers, work out in the field to help identify new gas well locations and design the most efficient way to extract gas from underground. A gas engineer often spends time on geographic surveys, assessing the stability of the land and whether or not it is appropriate for drilling. The job requires involvement in every aspect of the process, from ordering pumps and equipment to installing the pipes and extraction tools. When not in the field, duties include assessing rocks, performing site trials, and designing ways to improve the efficiency of drilling and pipeline technology.

• Mine Foreman

  Salary range: $74,500 - $112,000

  As a mine foreman, your duties include supervising mining operations on the surface and underground, organizing worker pools, and accounting for mining equipment. You ensure operational safety, plan quotas, and coordinate between different teams to safe and efficient workflow. Someone in this position will direct activities in the mine and may also handle administrative tasks such as ensuring that work remains on budget and meets all necessary safety and environmental regulations. A foreman usually reports to the mine manager or owner.

• Fuel Cell Engineer

  Salary range: $80,000 - $109,000

  A fuel cell engineer's job duties and responsibilities revolve around the design of fuel cell components or systems for a variety of applications. Fuel cell engineers design and develop fuel cell components for mechanical and electromechanical modules. In this job, you work from start to finish on these systems, from fabrication to the test and debug stage, to assembly and manipulation of the system. This creates high-quality designs that allow fuel cells or a generator to work more efficiently and with different fuel sources. A fuel cell engineer may work with a technician or act as his or her own throughout the process of building, manipulating, and rebuilding the fuel cell.

• Mining Engineer

  Salary range: $66,500 - $109,000

  A mining engineer works for a mining company. It’s your job to develop more efficient methods to locate and extract minerals and other natural resources from the earth. Your typical duties include maintaining all equipment, developing cost estimates and analyses, surveying underground and surface mining sites, evaluating ore deposits, and working with management on all safety issues. You are also involved with developing safe, efficient, and environmentally-friendly mining techniques. Many mining engineers take on management duties, including communicating with workers and vendors, conducting mining exploration, and overseeing transportation.

• Pipeline Welder

  Salary range: $68,000 - $76,000

  A pipeline welder, also known as a pipe welder, uses specialized flame torches to join pieces of metal to assemble and repair pipes. You can find jobs as a pipeline welder on oil rigs, at refineries, for utility companies, and in the construction and manufacturing industries. As a pipeline welder, your job duties include using shielded metal arc and gas tungsten arc welding equipment and methods to assemble, join, weld, and repair pipes and pipelines. Your responsibilities are to use safety equipment, determine the tools needed for a particular task, and complete the task in a safe and efficient manner.

• Gas Plant Operator

  Salary range: $49,500 - $74,000

  A gas plant operator assists in the safe and efficient operation of the power plant and its supporting equipment and systems. Your job duties and responsibilities may include logging production reports, performing rounds to take meter or gauge readings, and monitoring alarms. Most positions exist in the utility sector.

• Petroleum Inspector

  Salary range: $44,000 - $73,500

  As a petroleum inspector, your main duties are to analyze and measure a shipment of petroleum before delivering it to clients. When shipping vessels arrive at a port, you begin by verifying the correct quantity of petroleum and then continue by sampling the cargo from the tanks, which you send to a laboratory to be analyzed. If the analysis confirms that the cargo is to specifications, you can release it for distribution. If it is not to specification, you must make additional tests, reporting your findings to your client or supervisor.

• Lease Operator

  Salary range: $53,000 - $70,000

  As a lease operator in the oil and gas industry, your primary duties are to monitor how much oil or gas is being extracted from a well or oilfield and keep your supervisors updated on the progress of extraction. Your other responsibilities include routine maintenance and inspection of extraction equipment and operations, and to ensure that the site complies with all regulatory rules and laws. There may be significant travel for the job as oil and gas operations are typically spread over vast distances and include pipelines that may stretch hundreds of miles. It is your job to ensure that all areas are operating smoothly.

• Station Manager

  Salary range: $41,500 - $69,500

  A station manager oversees the daily operations of a business or organization, such as a radio station, manufacturing facility, airport, or a gas station. Your duties include a mix of clerical, administrative, and managerial tasks, such as maintaining inventory, developing budgets, and providing customer service. Qualifications for the career depend on the industry, but you should have significant job experience in your field. You should be familiar with staffing practices, training new employees, tracking budgets and financial expenditures, and managing many people at once. Leadership and communication skills are crucial. Some employers may prefer station managers with a business degree.

• Pipeliner

  Salary range: $56,000 - $69,000

  A pipeliner performs maintenance on an oil or gas pipeline. Pipeliners inspect damage to the line, determine the best approach and equipment for the issue, and make repairs to the pipeline. Pipeliners also repair and maintain pumps, valves, and other pipeline parts. Maintaining a pipeline is a group effort, so pipeliners often work as part of a crew to perform maintenance on the pipeline. Similar job titles include pipeline engineer, pipeline laborer, pipeline technician, and pipeline mechanic.

• Oil Field Pumper

  Salary range: $38,500 - $66,000

  As an oilfield pumper, you operate and maintain all auxiliary equipment that pumps oil. Your responsibilities are to install a pump system, monitor the pumping rate, and separate natural gas from oil. Your duties also task you with setting pump pressure, density, rate, and concentration to ensure cost-effective operations. You use several tools and mechanical skills to maintain oil pumps and their pipe sections. You might also work on pump gauges. Before monitoring these pumps, you must assemble the piping and all equipment. Training roustabouts or unit operators is also part of your responsibilities.

• Roustabout

  Salary range: $41,000 - $61,500

  Nineteenth-century deckhands or dockworkers were once dubbed Roustabouts, but today, the name applies to an important, demanding role in the oil industry. A Roustabout is a manual laborer with basic mechanical skills that works on an oil rig. The day-to-day duties for a Roustabout vary, though they generally include cleaning machinery and tools, loading and off-loading equipment, repairing boilers and engines, and inspecting pipes for leaks. Roustabouts are essential members of the oil rig crew, helping to guide crane operators, dig drainage ditches, and mix materials required for successful drilling. Many of their responsibilities include preventative maintenance and job-site cleanliness, which helps ensure the safety of other workers and the environment.

• Quarry Worker

  Salary range: $40,500 - $60,000

  A quarry worker uses a pick, shovel, steam hose, and other specialized tools to loosen blasted stone in a quarry. As a quarry worker, you may also clean irregularities from the stone pieces or cut the loosened rock into specific shapes. To become a quarry worker, you must be able to lift heavy objects and stand for long periods of time. Most employers provide on-the-job training, but may require you to pass a drug test and background check.

• Petroleum Supply Specialist

  Salary range: $47,500 - $59,500

  A petroleum supply specialist works in the military, organizing logistics pertaining to the supply of petroleum for equipment. As a petroleum supply specialist, you work in the army, navy, or air force to ensure all equipment, tools, vehicles, and buildings have petroleum both on-base and in the field. Your responsibilities also include working in operations to provide the product to forward operating troops and vehicles. Other duties involve pumping petrol products, supplying an oil load to forces as needed, and overseeing all matters pertaining to fuel. Organizing supply routes and schedules is a large part of your job.

• Underground Miner

  Salary range: $43,000 - $57,500

  Underground mechanics utilize their knowledge of and experience with gasoline and diesel engines to support the work of underground miners. As an underground mechanic, you troubleshoot and repair machines that are underground to help facilitate digs and excavations, ranging from small gas engines in hand tools to large diesel components of heavy machinery. You are hired to maintain this equipment and work with miners to ensure equipment is working correctly to meet safety and efficiency guidelines. You may also work on machines above the surface while on site. Your primary responsibilities are to help miners achieve their productivity goals and enhance safety.

• Pipeline Technician

  Salary range: $41,000 - $57,000

  As a pipeline technician, your responsibilities focus on the maintenance, testing, and repair of oil or gas pipelines. Your duties also include the detection of leaks and other problems that compromise the safety and integrity of pipes. Your responsibilities involve using instruments and computer programs to detect issues. You can also repair leaks or work on valves, pumps, instruments, and other equipment that are a part of the pipeline structure. As a pipeline technician, you also perform anti-corrosion activities. Most positions require traveling along a pipeline and performing work outdoors in all conditions.

• Pipeline Inspector

  Salary range: $46,500 - $56,500

  Pipeline inspectors identify and report pipeline damage. This role includes conducting tests and checking pipes for metal fragments, chemical build-up, or other obstructions to good working order. Pipeline inspectors are trained to confirm and report on the condition of pipelines, so maintaining working knowledge of safety protocols and inspection codes is paramount to this role. Pipeline inspectors also advise on steps that building managers can take to repair the pipelines in accordance with specified codes to pass re-inspection.

• Fuel Technician

  Salary range: $38,000 - $56,000

  As a fuel technician, it’s your job to perform several daily tasks including general maintenance and both equipment and facility tests and inspections. Your primary duties involve assisting drivers, safely filling tanks, hooking and unhooking hoses, opening and closing tank valves, and completing daily checks. It is vital for a fuel technician to have the skills and knowledge to safely load and unload fuels and follow standard safety procedures. Other qualifications for this career typically include a high school diploma, the ability to work in various weather conditions, and physical stamina. Employers may prefer candidates with experience in relevant technology or software.

• Oiler

  Salary range: $34,000 - $52,000

  Oilers, or greasers, ensure that moving parts of machinery are properly greased. The job requires you to maintain equipment, apply proper lubrication, and ensure that any potential safety issues are brought to the attention of supervising staff. You also keep records of pressure and temperature gauges to ensure everything is running within design parameters. On ships, an oiler may also do work in other areas related to the engineering department or help with shipping tasks, depending on the ship’s command structure and needs.

• Gas Station Manager

  Salary range: $35,000 - $50,500

  A gas station manager, also known as a fuel station manager, oversees the fuel and store operations at a gas station. As a gas station manager, you sometimes have a shift with other employees and other times manage the store on your own. Your responsibilities include meeting customers’ needs, maintaining the facilities, and helping people pump gas in their cars as needed. Other duties include counting inventory and ordering merchandise, including snacks, drinks, cigarettes, and toiletries. As a fuel station manager, you supervise employees, which entails training new workers and creating the work schedule. You are also responsible for managing sales at your gas station and making sure employees are meeting sales quotas.

• Gas Station Attendant

  Salary range: $30,000 - $36,000

  A gas station attendant, or gas jockey, provides customer service at a full-service gas station. Their duties include greeting customers, pumping the requested amount of gasoline, cleaning windows, checking fluid levels, checking tire pressure, and processing payments. They may also be responsible for station upkeep, including emptying trash bins and sweeping floors. Skills include basic math, basic vehicle mechanics, and knowledge of safety protocols, such as where shut-off valves are located and how to use them in case of emergency.

• Gas Station Cashier

  Salary range: $30,000 - $36,000

  A gas station cashier is a customer service representative and store clerk. As a gas station cashier, your duties include greeting and assisting customers, maintaining the inventory of products on store shelves, operating the cash register and running credit card transactions, and cleaning the gas station shop and restrooms. You may need to do some heavy lifting when restocking store shelves with items from the storage room. If you work at a 24-hour gas station, then you may have to work occasional overnight shifts.