Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers Salary: $97,540 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 34,860 petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers work nationally, and $97,540 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 2.6% annual decline; much hiring sits in manufacturing.
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers: what the data shows
Common questions about petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers?
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-8093.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 34,860 workers.
What does a petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Controlling Machines and Processes, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Performing General Physical Activities, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $97,540 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $105,634 — 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 | $63,026 |
| 25th percentile | $91,825 |
| Median (50th) | $110,056 |
| 75th percentile | $122,635 |
| 90th percentile | $127,262 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, Public Safety and Security, Mechanical, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.6% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -12.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -23.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 34,860.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 34,860 | 20.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 34,230 | 19.7% |
| Manufacturing | 21,290 | 12.2% |
| Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 20,420 | 11.8% |
| Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 20,420 | 11.8% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 7,890 | 4.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Chemical Plant and System Operators | 17,840 | $73,540 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers workforce.
Employment Over Time
34,860 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers shrank from 21,260 in 2009 to 14,000 in 2025 (34.1%).
Historical employment for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$97,540 Median pay (BLS national)
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers earn $97,540 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Salary distribution for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
12,286 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -12.2%
10,782 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -23.0%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Wage Trends by Industry
1.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
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: 12,060 employees, $90,580 avg wage
- CA: 3,640 employees, $102,960 avg wage
- LA: 3,520 employees, $90,720 avg wage
- OK: 1,340 employees, $90,860 avg wage
- IL: 1,100 employees, $100,260 avg wage
- MS: 1,080 employees, $77,400 avg wage
- KS: 1,030 employees, $89,740 avg wage
- PA: 1,030 employees, $83,880 avg wage
- WA: 1,030 employees, $94,110 avg wage
- OH: 720 employees, $95,630 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 6,200 employees, $95,530 avg wage
- Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX: 1,820 employees, $94,220 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,770 employees, $106,140 avg wage
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA: 1,590 employees, $99,520 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 1,010 employees, $115,220 avg wage
- Corpus Christi, TX: 960 employees, $90,120 avg wage
- Baton Rouge, LA: 670 employees, $87,430 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 630 employees, $102,570 avg wage
- Tulsa, OK: 580 employees, $98,820 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 570 employees, $101,340 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers is about 34,860 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
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 Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers workers.
Education level distribution for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Skills
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving.
Required skills for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers include Production and Processing, Public Safety and Security, Mechanical, Administration and Management, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers include Near Vision, Information Ordering, Flexibility of Closure, Perceptual Speed, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
Daily Activities
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers spend their time on activities such as Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Controlling Machines and Processes, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers.
About
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers earn $97,540 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
51-8093 - Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers reports an average salary of $105,634, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 34,860 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.6%, 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.