SALARY DATA — SOC 51-8091
Chemical Plant and System Operators
51-0000 Production Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Chemical Plant and System Operators is 2.31× — the national median is $78,120 but top decile earns $111,930. The spread exists; it's concentrated in geography, specialization, and industry sector. Knowing which end of the band you're on is the whole negotiation.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 16,610.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $48,400 | -38% | ~$23 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $60,330 | -23% | ~$29 |
| Median — 50th pct | $78,120 | — | $37.56/hr |
| Mean — average | $79,970 | +2% | $38.45/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $98,660 | +26% | ~$47 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $111,930 | +43% | ~$54 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Chemical Plant and System Operators in 26 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | 1,720 | $104,410 | $73,150 | $122,600 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1,420 | $106,020 | $59,920 | $124,930 |
| Lake Charles, LA | 740 | $102,310 | $50,910 | $121,530 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 460 | $92,260 | $46,480 | $124,770 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 410 | $82,170 | $64,870 | $98,600 |
| Richmond, VA | 340 | $77,930 | $43,330 | $96,520 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 310 | $77,260 | $58,310 | $123,390 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 300 | $111,900 | $86,410 | $111,930 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 280 | $64,360 | $62,130 | $80,940 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 200 | $90,470 | $68,590 | $95,390 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 12 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Chemical Plant and System Operators are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 3250A1 | 11,340 | $82,200 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 325400 | 1,410 | $58,150 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) | 4240A2 | 650 | $59,320 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | 541700 | 640 | $67,190 |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) | 3250A2 | 630 | $79,260 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Chemical Plant and System Operators is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: New York ranks #4 of 16 on the paycheck and #6 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | $106,020 | 95.6 | $110,931 | +1 |
| San Francisco | $111,900 | 106.2 | $105,382 | -1 |
| New Orleans | $92,260 | 97.2 | $94,886 | — |
| Portland | $87,210 | 100.1 | $87,113 | +1 |
| Buffalo | $84,390 | 97.8 | $86,322 | +1 |
| New York | $90,470 | 112.6 | $80,373 | -2 |
| Boston | $82,170 | 103.6 | $79,284 | — |
| Richmond | $77,930 | 98.6 | $79,037 | — |
| Philadelphia | $77,260 | 103.1 | $74,904 | — |
| Denver | $68,590 | 99.4 | $69,027 | +1 |
Top 10 of 16 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Pittsburgh gains 2 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Chemical Plant and System Operators to move from 16,700 to 15,900 over 2025–2035 — -5.2% , with about 1,300 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: high school diploma or equivalent.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Chemical Plant and System Operators?
- The median annual salary for Chemical Plant and System Operators is $78,120, and the mean is $79,970 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Chemical Plant and System Operators?
- Most Chemical Plant and System Operators earn between $48,400 and $111,930 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 2.31× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 2.31 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Chemical Plant and System Operators fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ranks #4 by nominal pay but #6 of 16 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Chemical Plant and System Operators growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Chemical Plant and System Operators employment to shrink 5.2% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 1,300 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Chemical Plant and System Operators jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 16,610 workers in Chemical Plant and System Operators nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Production Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Chemical Plant and System Operators: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators $78,620
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $74,450
- Gas Plant Operators $87,820
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers $68,120
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers $65,380
- Tool and Die Makers $64,050
- Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic $63,870
- Model Makers, Metal and Plastic $63,340
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Chemical Plant and System Operators (SOC 51-8091): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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Raw JSON: /salaries/chemical-plant-and-system-operators-51-8091.json · License: CC BY 4.0 · Source: BLS OEWS · Cite as: Office Blues OEWS Salary Data, Chemical Plant and System Operators, officeblues.net/salaries/chemical-plant-and-system-operators-51-8091
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