Chemical Plant and System Operators
Median $78,120
Occupation · SOC 51-8093
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers: pay and where the jobs are
What petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$96,710 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $90,630
- Median hourly wage
- $46.50
- Mean hourly wage
- $43.57
- Employment
- 33,160
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-8093.
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How much do petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers make?
The median annual wage for petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers was $96,710 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $57,110 and the highest-paid 10% more than $115,880. As an hourly rate, the median is $46.50. About 33,160 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Alaska ($124,530), Louisiana ($106,640) and Utah ($105,980). Alaska also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers 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 | $57,110 | $27.46 | $4,759 | $4,006 |
| 25th percentile | $77,510 | $37.27 | $6,459 | $5,280 |
| Median | $96,710 | $46.50 | $8,059 | $6,405 |
| 75th percentile | $106,320 | $51.12 | $8,860 | $6,969 |
| 90th percentile | $115,880 | $55.71 | $9,657 | $7,529 |
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers: 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
$93,896 take-home in national prices
2
$91,873 take-home in national prices
3
$86,606 take-home in national prices
Where a median petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gauger paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 370 | $124,530 | $83,680 | $167,880 | $96,111 | $93,896 |
| Louisiana | 3,490 | $106,640 | $42,160 | $111,060 | $81,038 | $91,873 |
| Utah | 600 | $105,980 | $65,140 | $109,390 | $78,671 | $79,575 |
| Ohio | 800 | $105,150 | $73,840 | $107,530 | $80,348 | $86,606 |
| New Jersey | 420 | $104,540 | $79,930 | $122,800 | $77,275 | $71,022 |
| Washington | 930 | $103,620 | $76,950 | $114,980 | $80,289 | $75,028 |
| California | 3,360 | $103,250 | $72,930 | $128,840 | $74,767 | $67,528 |
| Illinois | 1,070 | $102,890 | $93,690 | $111,380 | $76,265 | $76,297 |
| Minnesota | 550 | $101,910 | $70,770 | $128,670 | $74,669 | $75,713 |
| Kansas | 950 | $101,880 | $79,250 | $109,260 | $75,617 | $83,956 |
| Wyoming | 560 | $100,350 | $69,320 | $114,040 | $79,426 | $85,689 |
| Montana | 550 | $98,310 | $75,760 | $108,160 | $73,797 | $77,973 |
| Tennessee | 170 | $96,730 | $65,380 | $105,050 | $76,880 | $83,683 |
| Oklahoma | 1,390 | $95,140 | $74,420 | $107,170 | $72,025 | $81,993 |
| Hawaii | 280 | $94,900 | $71,240 | $130,310 | $69,793 | $63,477 |
| Colorado | 120 | $93,750 | $62,620 | $104,590 | $70,954 | $68,853 |
| North Dakota | 950 | $93,130 | $66,580 | $118,280 | $73,790 | $82,948 |
| Iowa | 70 | $90,160 | $61,400 | $99,760 | $69,483 | $79,172 |
| New York | 70 | $88,880 | $60,850 | $105,080 | $66,738 | $61,840 |
| Arkansas | 220 | $86,580 | $56,580 | $96,770 | $67,023 | $77,094 |
| Texas | 10,510 | $84,100 | $45,670 | $108,650 | $67,994 | $70,056 |
| Michigan | 180 | $84,030 | $57,450 | $101,820 | $64,625 | $67,165 |
| West Virginia | 330 | $83,910 | $72,430 | $97,400 | $64,907 | $72,524 |
| Pennsylvania | 820 | $83,870 | $61,670 | $105,580 | $65,199 | $66,821 |
| Missouri | 100 | $80,960 | $59,860 | $118,760 | $62,918 | $69,280 |
| North Carolina | 130 | $80,060 | $60,250 | $98,940 | $62,467 | $66,224 |
| Kentucky | 520 | $78,670 | $50,540 | $106,810 | $61,538 | $68,256 |
| Maryland | 90 | $78,580 | $48,280 | $101,800 | $60,744 | $57,874 |
| Mississippi | 860 | $75,180 | $66,190 | $98,100 | $59,444 | $68,363 |
| New Mexico | 420 | $74,340 | $48,380 | $104,790 | $58,800 | $63,766 |
| Alabama | 90 | $73,510 | $43,950 | $93,240 | $57,476 | $64,708 |
| Wisconsin | Not published | $71,450 | $64,560 | $103,060 | $56,362 | $59,899 |
| New Hampshire | 120 | $70,050 | $56,800 | $82,930 | $58,110 | $55,787 |
| Indiana | 520 | $67,420 | $44,260 | $104,020 | $54,301 | $58,182 |
| Maine | 60 | $65,150 | $43,470 | $92,810 | $51,482 | $53,047 |
| Florida | 170 | $63,480 | $49,920 | $97,000 | $53,186 | $51,430 |
| Nevada | 30 | $62,420 | $50,110 | $78,560 | $52,334 | $52,345 |
| Arizona | 180 | $60,070 | $38,520 | $106,360 | $49,338 | $49,006 |
| Virginia | 250 | $58,970 | $40,300 | $103,390 | $46,986 | $46,473 |
| South Carolina | 70 | $58,160 | $24,880 | $96,140 | $47,371 | $50,529 |
| Georgia | 240 | $57,180 | $42,720 | $98,120 | $46,019 | $47,791 |
| Connecticut | Not published | $56,880 | $46,070 | $100,340 | $45,220 | $43,645 |
| Puerto Rico | 40 | $44,470 | $21,840 | $82,360 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-8093. *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.