Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders Salary: $59,486 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 127,410 chemical equipment operators and tenders nationally earn a mean of $59,486. Employment in the series shown rose about 20% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 6.7% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders: what the data shows
Common questions about chemical equipment operators and tenders careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a chemical equipment operators and tenders?
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-9011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 127,410 workers.
What does a chemical equipment operators and tenders do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a chemical equipment operators and tenders make?
BLS national median annual wage: $57,090 (May 2024 in our extract).
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,603 |
| 25th percentile | $47,544 |
| Median (50th) | $58,634 |
| 75th percentile | $67,550 |
| 90th percentile | $81,832 |
What education do you need?
For Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, Chemistry, Mechanical, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is chemical equipment operators and tenders in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 38.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 91.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 127,410.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do chemical equipment operators and tenderss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 127,410 | 20.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 127,370 | 20.0% |
| Manufacturing | 124,240 | 19.5% |
| Chemical Manufacturing | 116,680 | 18.4% |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 65,730 | 10.3% |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 30,510 | 4.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders workforce.
Employment Over Time
127,410 Workforce in 2023
The Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$59,486 Average Wage
In 2023, Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders earned an average of $59,486.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Salary distribution for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Employment Growth Projections
6.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
30,673 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 38.5%
42,496 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 91.9%
This occupation is projected to grow at 6.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Wage Trends by Industry
-0.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 16,190 employees, $68,090 avg wage
- NJ: 8,710 employees, $54,820 avg wage
- OH: 7,980 employees, $60,870 avg wage
- LA: 7,920 employees, $79,550 avg wage
- CA: 5,830 employees, $57,980 avg wage
- IN: 5,450 employees, $54,570 avg wage
- PA: 5,420 employees, $54,540 avg wage
- MI: 4,910 employees, $56,930 avg wage
- NY: 4,550 employees, $54,190 avg wage
- TN: 4,170 employees, $59,680 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 9,310 employees, $53,820 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 6,930 employees, $76,070 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 3,340 employees, $58,260 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2,850 employees, $53,630 avg wage
- Baton Rouge, LA: 2,840 employees, $90,640 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,700 employees, $64,950 avg wage
- Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN: 2,330 employees, $58,640 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 2,080 employees, $53,990 avg wage
- Lake Charles, LA: 2,050 employees, $74,560 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,970 employees, $54,960 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Diversity
Demographic information on Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders in 2023 was 127,410 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders workers.
Education level distribution for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Skills
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders include Production and Processing, Chemistry, Mechanical, Computers and Electronics, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders include Problem Sensitivity, Control Precision, Near Vision, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Daily Activities
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders spend their time on activities such as Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes.
Most important work activities for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders.
About
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
The average yearly wage for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders was $59,486 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-9011 - Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders reports an average salary of $59,486.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 127,410 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 6.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.