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The differences between prospectors and petroleum geologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a prospector and a petroleum geologist. Additionally, a petroleum geologist has an average salary of $111,574, which is higher than the $53,179 average annual salary of a prospector.
The top three skills for a prospector include outbound calls, lead generation and foreclosure. The most important skills for a petroleum geologist are log data, well-site, and GIS.
| Prospector | Petroleum Geologist | |
| Yearly salary | $53,179 | $111,574 |
| Hourly rate | $25.57 | $53.64 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 1,981 | 1,291 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Prospectors and petroleum geologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Prospector | Petroleum Geologist | |
| Average salary | $53,179 | $111,574 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $109,000 | Between $70,000 And $176,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Houston, TX |
| Highest paying state | - | Texas |
| Best paying company | - | ConocoPhillips |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a prospector and a petroleum geologist in terms of educational background:
| Prospector | Petroleum Geologist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Business | Geology |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between prospectors' and petroleum geologists' demographics:
| Prospector | Petroleum Geologist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.3% Female, 41.7% | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 83.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 0.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 4.9% White, 82.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |