Chemical Plant and System Operators
Median $78,120
Occupation · SOC 51-8092
Gas Plant Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What gas plant operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$87,820 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $88,710
- Median hourly wage
- $42.22
- Mean hourly wage
- $42.65
- Employment
- 18,030
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-8092.
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See where your pay falls among gas plant operators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do gas plant operators make?
The median annual wage for gas plant operators was $87,820 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $61,350 and the highest-paid 10% more than $115,520. As an hourly rate, the median is $42.22. About 18,030 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($130,220), New Jersey ($110,900) and Oregon ($109,760). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Louisiana.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for gas plant 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 | $61,350 | $29.50 | $5,113 | $4,290 |
| 25th percentile | $76,870 | $36.96 | $6,406 | $5,242 |
| Median | $87,820 | $42.22 | $7,318 | $5,884 |
| 75th percentile | $100,870 | $48.49 | $8,406 | $6,649 |
| 90th percentile | $115,520 | $55.54 | $9,627 | $7,508 |
Gas Plant Operators: pay by state
43 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
$93,179 take-home in national prices
2
$90,534 take-home in national prices
3
$87,719 take-home in national prices
Where a median gas plant operator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 800 | $130,220 | $92,610 | $140,400 | $90,713 | $81,930 |
| New Jersey | 190 | $110,900 | $87,020 | $128,230 | $81,318 | $74,737 |
| Oregon | 70 | $109,760 | $86,210 | $125,590 | $77,123 | $74,615 |
| Connecticut | Not published | $109,060 | $83,280 | $118,430 | $79,715 | $76,937 |
| Louisiana | 800 | $108,350 | $50,890 | $115,390 | $82,190 | $93,179 |
| Arizona | 140 | $104,600 | $73,720 | $112,540 | $80,195 | $79,656 |
| Massachusetts | 340 | $103,830 | $75,600 | $119,590 | $76,425 | $72,265 |
| Maryland | 180 | $102,950 | $61,920 | $107,940 | $76,655 | $73,033 |
| South Dakota | 90 | $101,450 | $83,530 | $104,660 | $80,200 | $90,534 |
| Arkansas | 400 | $100,870 | $64,940 | $103,700 | $76,260 | $87,719 |
| Michigan | 540 | $100,500 | $92,190 | $121,440 | $75,511 | $78,480 |
| Minnesota | 360 | $100,500 | $78,320 | $100,610 | $73,779 | $74,811 |
| New York | 240 | $98,390 | $70,460 | $119,950 | $72,840 | $67,493 |
| Utah | 160 | $98,300 | $83,510 | $102,600 | $73,610 | $74,456 |
| Colorado | 570 | $98,080 | $75,590 | $110,550 | $73,791 | $71,605 |
| Illinois | 530 | $97,810 | $51,880 | $112,700 | $72,943 | $72,973 |
| New Mexico | 300 | $97,660 | $72,440 | $108,670 | $74,079 | $80,336 |
| North Dakota | 770 | $96,760 | $76,570 | $129,410 | $76,273 | $85,740 |
| Maine | 30 | $93,990 | $61,390 | $104,060 | $69,783 | $71,904 |
| Iowa | 480 | $92,970 | $59,840 | $100,480 | $71,353 | $81,303 |
| Missouri | 220 | $87,820 | $64,080 | $105,240 | $67,421 | $74,238 |
| Nebraska | 270 | $87,790 | $76,780 | $98,550 | $67,475 | $74,887 |
| Virginia | 400 | $86,500 | $73,520 | $100,430 | $65,523 | $64,808 |
| Indiana | 280 | $85,790 | $56,060 | $118,550 | $66,682 | $71,448 |
| Wisconsin | 150 | $85,080 | $60,880 | $106,270 | $65,142 | $69,230 |
| Washington | 120 | $83,650 | $48,610 | $127,810 | $66,517 | $62,158 |
| Montana | 70 | $83,630 | $67,580 | $101,260 | $64,300 | $67,938 |
| West Virginia | 420 | $82,600 | $52,000 | $100,460 | $64,045 | $71,561 |
| Ohio | 570 | $82,130 | $56,890 | $101,520 | $64,787 | $69,833 |
| Mississippi | 340 | $81,600 | $54,310 | $90,550 | $63,704 | $73,262 |
| Wyoming | 480 | $81,550 | $66,980 | $110,220 | $66,200 | $71,421 |
| North Carolina | 320 | $81,460 | $62,120 | $113,860 | $63,396 | $67,209 |
| Georgia | 110 | $81,220 | $45,180 | $114,670 | $62,664 | $65,076 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,370 | $80,810 | $62,060 | $102,060 | $63,142 | $64,714 |
| Kansas | 350 | $80,760 | $60,180 | $106,270 | $61,938 | $68,768 |
| Texas | 2,550 | $79,910 | $61,990 | $98,840 | $65,047 | $67,019 |
| Idaho | 50 | $79,280 | $51,720 | $98,350 | $61,510 | $64,412 |
| Oklahoma | 970 | $78,310 | $59,750 | $97,560 | $60,943 | $69,377 |
| Alabama | Not published | $77,120 | $53,880 | $97,720 | $59,875 | $67,409 |
| South Carolina | 280 | $67,580 | $45,870 | $89,960 | $54,207 | $57,822 |
| Florida | 130 | $67,170 | $49,490 | $82,450 | $56,084 | $54,233 |
| Tennessee | 200 | $66,560 | $58,920 | $95,260 | $55,655 | $60,580 |
| Kentucky | 200 | $63,070 | $39,590 | $96,940 | $50,767 | $56,308 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-8092. *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.