Gas Plant Operators
Median $87,820
Occupation · SOC 51-8091
Chemical Plant and System Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What chemical plant and system operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$78,120 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $79,970
- Median hourly wage
- $37.56
- Mean hourly wage
- $38.45
- Employment
- 16,610
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-8091.
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See where your pay falls among chemical plant and system operators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do chemical plant and system operators make?
The median annual wage for chemical plant and system operators was $78,120 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $48,400 and the highest-paid 10% more than $111,930. As an hourly rate, the median is $37.56. About 16,610 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Florida ($128,830), Wyoming ($107,810) and Texas ($102,750). Florida also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for chemical plant and system operators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,400 | $23.27 | $4,033 | $3,422 |
| 25th percentile | $60,330 | $29.01 | $5,028 | $4,221 |
| Median | $78,120 | $37.56 | $6,510 | $5,316 |
| 75th percentile | $98,660 | $47.44 | $8,222 | $6,520 |
| 90th percentile | $111,930 | $53.81 | $9,328 | $7,298 |
Chemical Plant and System Operators: pay by state
35 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$96,042 take-home in national prices
2
$91,351 take-home in national prices
3
$86,849 take-home in national prices
Where a median chemical plant and system operator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 60 | $128,830 | $64,820 | $135,880 | $99,321 | $96,042 |
| Wyoming | 300 | $107,810 | $88,360 | $114,380 | $84,674 | $91,351 |
| Texas | 2,360 | $102,750 | $52,460 | $124,220 | $81,115 | $83,574 |
| Louisiana | 3,400 | $100,060 | $62,890 | $122,560 | $76,607 | $86,849 |
| Kentucky | 40 | $97,550 | $72,820 | $135,500 | $74,160 | $82,254 |
| Maryland | 290 | $95,150 | $62,390 | $99,760 | $71,614 | $68,231 |
| Alabama | 230 | $91,610 | $56,500 | $101,800 | $69,503 | $78,249 |
| Arkansas | 240 | $91,610 | $74,420 | $97,280 | $70,376 | $80,950 |
| California | 780 | $87,550 | $73,900 | $111,930 | $65,386 | $59,055 |
| Oregon | 120 | $87,110 | $68,550 | $102,330 | $63,569 | $61,502 |
| New Jersey | 330 | $86,820 | $62,760 | $115,500 | $66,012 | $60,670 |
| Massachusetts | 570 | $83,710 | $64,870 | $98,630 | $63,369 | $59,920 |
| Idaho | 60 | $82,980 | $54,740 | $97,320 | $63,917 | $66,933 |
| West Virginia | 380 | $81,710 | $44,210 | $90,250 | $63,460 | $70,907 |
| New Mexico | Not published | $72,610 | $70,190 | $75,350 | $57,664 | $62,534 |
| Michigan | 40 | $72,430 | $31,890 | $102,190 | $56,957 | $59,196 |
| Mississippi | 320 | $71,080 | $46,920 | $103,400 | $56,724 | $65,235 |
| Pennsylvania | 770 | $70,110 | $54,770 | $90,420 | $55,951 | $57,343 |
| South Carolina | 610 | $68,510 | $49,080 | $75,120 | $54,800 | $58,454 |
| Ohio | 240 | $67,580 | $51,170 | $75,890 | $54,958 | $59,238 |
| Minnesota | 150 | $66,500 | $50,010 | $81,680 | $52,322 | $53,053 |
| Illinois | 160 | $65,710 | $60,580 | $83,690 | $51,870 | $51,892 |
| Utah | 320 | $63,460 | $52,970 | $65,640 | $50,724 | $51,307 |
| Virginia | 760 | $63,000 | $36,330 | $84,800 | $49,992 | $49,446 |
| New York | 120 | $62,980 | $55,070 | $90,690 | $49,677 | $46,031 |
| North Carolina | 660 | $62,920 | $50,790 | $78,580 | $50,734 | $53,786 |
| Colorado | 400 | $62,870 | $54,340 | $81,550 | $50,362 | $48,870 |
| Wisconsin | 90 | $62,720 | $49,180 | $80,060 | $50,361 | $53,521 |
| Iowa | 490 | $60,440 | $46,220 | $65,850 | $49,099 | $55,945 |
| Washington | 350 | $60,120 | $45,760 | $114,010 | $49,652 | $46,399 |
| South Dakota | 180 | $59,970 | $49,790 | $65,640 | $50,366 | $56,855 |
| Missouri | 450 | $55,470 | $46,590 | $78,040 | $45,080 | $49,639 |
| Georgia | 220 | $49,230 | $40,710 | $71,020 | $40,028 | $41,569 |
| Indiana | 320 | $49,110 | $39,140 | $67,470 | $40,221 | $43,096 |
| Tennessee | 350 | $45,830 | $41,620 | $74,850 | $39,004 | $42,456 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-8091. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.