Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

51-9011 Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend equipment to control chemical changes or reactions in the processing of industrial or consumer products. Equipment used includes devulcanizers, steam-jacketed kettles, and reactor vessels. Excludes "Chemical Plant and System Operators" (51-8091).

---

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
82,880	2.4 %	$24.55	$51,070	0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$13.96	$17.67	$23.45	$30.47	$37.34
Annual Wage (2)	$29,050	$36,750	$48,770	$63,380	$77,660

---

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)	49,940	13.77	$25.87	$53,810
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	11,730	3.99	$22.25	$46,290
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only)	10,400	6.10	$21.27	$44,240
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	1,890	1.68	$31.49	$65,510
Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing	1,010	1.77	$24.19	$50,310

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)	49,940	13.77	$25.87	$53,810
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only)	10,400	6.10	$21.27	$44,240
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	11,730	3.99	$22.25	$46,290
Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing	1,010	1.77	$24.19	$50,310
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	1,890	1.68	$31.49	$65,510

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	1,890	1.68	$31.49	$65,510
Management of Companies and Enterprises	(8)	(8)	$28.76	$59,820
Other Food Manufacturing	200	0.09	$28.67	$59,630
Support Activities for Mining	(8)	(8)	$27.73	$57,670
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)	370	0.08	$27.72	$57,650

---

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Texas	13,280	1.10	1.91	$28.58	$59,450
Ohio	6,170	1.14	1.99	$22.87	$47,570
Pennsylvania	4,270	0.73	1.28	$22.55	$46,900
Michigan	3,660	0.85	1.48	$26.19	$54,470
New Jersey	3,320	0.82	1.43	$23.58	$49,050

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
West Virginia	1,290	1.85	3.23	$30.37	$63,170
Delaware	830	1.85	3.23	$29.32	$60,990
Alabama	2,470	1.27	2.22	$27.04	$56,240
Ohio	6,170	1.14	1.99	$22.87	$47,570
Kentucky	2,120	1.12	1.96	$25.60	$53,240

Top paying States for this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Wyoming	260	0.96	1.67	$35.27	$73,370
Louisiana	1,830	0.96	1.67	$31.19	$64,870
West Virginia	1,290	1.85	3.23	$30.37	$63,170
Delaware	830	1.85	3.23	$29.32	$60,990
Texas	13,280	1.10	1.91	$28.58	$59,450

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	6,930	2.32	4.06	$29.38	$61,120
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	3,690	0.39	0.68	$22.05	$45,850
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	2,790	0.98	1.71	$25.40	$52,840
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	2,010	0.43	0.76	$25.34	$52,700
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX	1,820	11.40	19.91	$34.46	$71,680
Cleveland-Elyria, OH	1,730	1.67	2.91	$22.54	$46,880
St. Louis, MO-IL	1,720	1.26	2.20	$21.12	$43,940
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	1,630	0.83	1.44	$25.72	$53,500
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	1,540	0.43	0.76	$21.25	$44,200
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	1,360	0.51	0.89	$17.71	$36,840

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX	1,820	11.40	19.91	$34.46	$71,680
Decatur, AL	520	9.79	17.09	$32.43	$67,450
Evansville, IN-KY	710	4.54	7.93	$28.54	$59,370
Greenville, NC	330	4.32	7.54	$22.82	$47,470
Lima, OH	200	3.94	6.88	$29.79	$61,960
Baton Rouge, LA	1,140	2.89	5.04	$32.69	$67,990
Charleston, WV	310	2.75	4.81	$32.93	$68,500
Joplin, MO	210	2.67	4.67	$26.77	$55,680
Spartanburg, SC	400	2.61	4.57	$20.74	$43,150
Mobile, AL	450	2.59	4.52	$28.64	$59,570