Chemical Plant and System Operators Salary: $91,076 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 17,840 chemical plant and system operators nationally earn a mean of $91,076. Employment in the series shown rose about 119% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 4.1% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Chemical Plant and System Operators: what the data shows
Common questions about chemical plant and system operators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a chemical plant and system operators?
Chemical Plant and System Operators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-8091.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 17,840 workers.
What does a chemical plant and system operators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Controlling Machines and Processes, Training and Teaching Others, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a chemical plant and system operators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $73,540 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $91,076 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $74,968 |
| 25th percentile | $77,830 |
| Median (50th) | $90,573 |
| 75th percentile | $111,175 |
| 90th percentile | $111,236 |
What education do you need?
For Chemical Plant and System Operators, 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 Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, Chemistry, Mechanical, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is chemical plant and system operators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 4.1% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -19.0%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -34.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 17,840.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do chemical plant and system operatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 17,840 | 20.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 17,800 | 20.3% |
| Manufacturing | 15,840 | 18.1% |
| Chemical Manufacturing | 14,730 | 16.8% |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 11,760 | 13.4% |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 2,210 | 2.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Chemical Plant and System Operators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers | 34,860 | $97,540 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 318,570 | $96,800 |
| Computer Network Architects | 177,010 | $130,390 |
| Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators | 126,750 | $58,260 |
| Plant and System Operators, All Other | 15,950 | $61,710 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Chemical Plant and System Operators workforce.
Employment Over Time
17,840 Workforce in 2023
The Chemical Plant and System Operators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$91,076 Average Wage
In 2023, Chemical Plant and System Operators earned an average of $91,076.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Salary distribution for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Employment Growth Projections
-4.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,328 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -19.0%
1,075 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -34.4%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Chemical Plant and System Operators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Chemical Plant and System Operators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: -9.2% growth (Current: $103,178)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
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:
- LA: 3,360 employees, $89,050 avg wage
- TX: 2,980 employees, $89,970 avg wage
- NC: 1,130 employees, $57,510 avg wage
- PA: 750 employees, $73,490 avg wage
- CA: 590 employees, $88,770 avg wage
- SC: 480 employees, $59,140 avg wage
- OH: 460 employees, $65,420 avg wage
- ND: 410 employees, $103,780 avg wage
- MO: 370 employees, $58,740 avg wage
- UT: 330 employees, $57,620 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,820 employees, $94,480 avg wage
- Baton Rouge, LA: 1,640 employees, $94,760 avg wage
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA: 770 employees, $91,110 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 290 employees, $84,860 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 250 employees, $99,340 avg wage
- Salt Lake City-Murray, UT: 240 employees, $57,650 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 210 employees, $66,880 avg wage
- St. Louis, MO-IL: 210 employees, $54,360 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 160 employees, $68,910 avg wage
- Pittsburgh, PA: 150 employees, $74,400 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Chemical Plant and System Operators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Chemical Plant and System Operators in 2023 was 17,840 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
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 Plant and System Operators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Chemical Plant and System Operators in 2023 were Business, Social Sciences, General Studies.
Common majors for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Chemical Plant and System Operators workers.
Education level distribution for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Skills
Chemical Plant and System Operators need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, Monitoring, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Chemical Plant and System Operators include Production and Processing, Chemistry, Mechanical, English Language, Public Safety and Security.
Knowledge areas required for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Chemical Plant and System Operators include Near Vision, Selective Attention, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Chemical Plant and System Operators.
Daily Activities
Chemical Plant and System Operators spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Controlling Machines and Processes, Training and Teaching Others.
Most important work activities for Chemical Plant and System Operators.
About
Chemical Plant and System Operators
The average yearly wage for Chemical Plant and System Operators was $91,076 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-8091 - Chemical Plant and System Operators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Chemical Plant and System Operators reports an average salary of $91,076.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 17,840 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -4.1%, 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.