10. Ameren
Headquarters: St. Louis, Missouri
Experienced median pay: $88,100
High job satisfaction: 78% of employees
The holding company oversees operations for Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois, two of the largest energy providers in their respective states. Ameren employs more than 8,500 people, and PayScale reports that 74% of employees say that their job has high meaning.
9. NRG Energy
Headquarters: Houston, Texas, and Princeton, New Jersey
Experienced median pay: $96,700
High job satisfaction: 85% of employees
Employees at green-energy company NRG can take advantage of benefits like college scholarships, rewards for outstanding work, and discounts on appliances and services to make their homes more sustainable, such as solar-panel installation, smart thermostats, and electric vehicles. The company's Houston campus is LEED-certified, and the Princeton headquarters will receive a number of upgrades to make it more environmentally friendly.
8. NextEra Energy
Headquarters: Juno Beach, Florida
Experienced median pay: $87,500
High job satisfaction: 72% of employees
The clean-energy company employs 14,300 people in 27 states and Canada. NextEra Energy's Florida headquarters — which achieved LEED-gold recertification last year — has a fitness center, nature trail, running track, and outdoor volleyball court.
7. PPL
Headquarters: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Experienced median pay: $103,000
High job satisfaction: 77% of employees
Electric utility PPL — formerly Pennsylvania Power and Light — employs 13,000 people across its three regional energy entities in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and the UK. The most frequently hired positions include engineers, finance and accounting professionals, and plant operators. PayScale reports that 19% of employees consider their job low stress.
6. ExxonMobil
Headquarters: Irving, Texas
Experienced median pay: $117,000
High job satisfaction: 72% of employees
ExxonMobil, the world's largest publicly traded oil and gas company, makes employee retention a priority. Part of that plan involves significant investment in ensuring their workforce continues to grow. The company spent more than $115 million on professional training for 79,000 company participants in 2014.
5. Baker Hughes
Headquarters: Houston, Texas
Experienced median pay: $93,700
High job satisfaction: 74% of employees
Baker Hughes focuses on each employees' potential, not where they are when they start. This principle spurred the oil and gas services company to build LearnLink, an online course system that allows employees to develop new skills and further their education in any area that interests them. Baker Hughes also operates two standalone education centers in Houston and Dubai where new and experienced employees receive training and sharpen their skills.
4. Duke Energy
Headquarters: Charlotte, North Carolina
Experienced median pay: $90,800
High job satisfaction: 75% of employees
Electric-power conglomerate Duke Energy offers an array of career paths, from customer service to engineer and technician. Every year, thousands of employees and retirees devote their free time to volunteering with Duke Energy in Action, the company's community-service effort.
3. ConocoPhillips
Headquarters: Houston, Texas
Experienced median pay: $111,000
High job satisfaction: 78% of employees
The global oil and gas conglomerate, which has about 16,000 employees, prides itself on attracting strong talent and pushing career development, with programs for student recruitment, early-career development, and mentoring.
The best-paying jobs at ConocoPhillips are for geophysicists, who make about $150,000 on average, followed by petroleum and drilling engineers, who each make upward of $125,000.
2. Chevron
Headquarters: San Ramon, California
Experienced median pay: $122,000
High job satisfaction: 81% of employees
Headquartered in California but present in more than 180 countries, Chevron runs on “Human Energy” with an employee workforce 61,500 strong, nearly half of them located in the US.
The multinational oil and gas company's employees and retirees are encouraged to participate in its volunteer program, Chevron Humankind. In 2014, employees logged 350,000 volunteer service hours and donated $20 million to nonprofits and charities, which was matched by Chevron.
1. Southern Company
Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
Experienced median pay: $85,100
High job satisfaction: 88% of employees
Southern Company strives to create a culture of trust and excellence by both supporting employees in their daily work and challenging them to set industry performance and safety records. The electric utility company provides a positive atmosphere to accomplish this, and 28% of employees reported low levels of stress at work, making Southern the least-stressful work environment on the list.