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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

51-8091 Chemical Plant and System Operators

Control or operate entire chemical processes or system of machines.


National estimates for Chemical Plant and System Operators
Industry profile for Chemical Plant and System Operators
Geographic profile for Chemical Plant and System Operators

National estimates for Chemical Plant and System Operators:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Chemical Plant and System Operators:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
29,710 5.9 % $ 31.47 $ 65,460 1.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Chemical Plant and System Operators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 18.35 $ 23.29 $ 31.71 $ 39.12 $ 46.09
Annual Wage (2) $ 38,160 $ 48,430 $ 65,960 $ 81,360 $ 95,860


Industry profile for Chemical Plant and System Operators:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Chemical Plant and System Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) 18,240 5.07 $ 31.70 $ 65,930
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 4,270 3.92 $ 34.82 $ 72,420
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 2,160 0.73 $ 26.61 $ 55,350
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 960 0.06 $ 39.42 $ 82,000
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) 660 0.39 $ 30.14 $ 62,690

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Chemical Plant and System Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) 18,240 5.07 $ 31.70 $ 65,930
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 4,270 3.92 $ 34.82 $ 72,420
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 2,160 0.73 $ 26.61 $ 55,350
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) 660 0.39 $ 30.14 $ 62,690
Waste Treatment and Disposal 190 0.19 $ 27.09 $ 56,340

Top paying industries for Chemical Plant and System Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 960 0.06 $ 39.42 $ 82,000
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 4,270 3.92 $ 34.82 $ 72,420
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) 18,240 5.07 $ 31.70 $ 65,930
Scientific Research and Development Services 110 0.01 $ 30.75 $ 63,950
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing 120 0.03 $ 30.54 $ 63,510


Geographic profile for Chemical Plant and System Operators:

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





States with the highest employment level in Chemical Plant and System Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 7,420 0.61 2.87 $ 35.20 $ 73,220
Louisiana 3,700 2.05 9.61 $ 33.09 $ 68,820
South Carolina 2,160 1.07 5.01 $ 23.86 $ 49,630
Minnesota 1,480 0.55 2.55 $ 25.63 $ 53,320
California 1,230 0.07 0.35 $ 26.12 $ 54,330




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Chemical Plant and System Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 3,700 2.05 9.61 $ 33.09 $ 68,820
South Carolina 2,160 1.07 5.01 $ 23.86 $ 49,630
Texas 7,420 0.61 2.87 $ 35.20 $ 73,220
Wyoming 150 0.56 2.61 $ 38.01 $ 79,070
Minnesota 1,480 0.55 2.55 $ 25.63 $ 53,320




Top paying states for Chemical Plant and System Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wyoming 150 0.56 2.61 $ 38.01 $ 79,070
New Jersey 510 0.14 0.64 $ 36.74 $ 76,410
Alabama 980 0.52 2.42 $ 36.66 $ 76,250
Texas 7,420 0.61 2.87 $ 35.20 $ 73,220
Washington (8) (8) (8) $ 34.93 $ 72,650





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Chemical Plant and System Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 4,750 1.60 7.50 $ 35.89 $ 74,660
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 1,460 2.84 13.30 $ 33.06 $ 68,750
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 1,130 7.41 34.67 $ 34.41 $ 71,570
Baton Rouge, LA 1,120 3.01 14.07 $ 33.90 $ 70,520
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 790 0.43 1.99 $ 26.55 $ 55,220
Mobile, AL 610 3.59 16.81 $ 36.67 $ 76,270
Lake Charles, LA 520 5.10 23.89 $ 33.24 $ 69,130
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 520 0.40 1.88 $ 33.87 $ 70,450
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 450 0.05 0.24 $ 35.64 $ 74,120
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 400 0.15 0.70 $ 34.16 $ 71,060




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Chemical Plant and System Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 1,130 7.41 34.67 $ 34.41 $ 71,570
Lake Charles, LA 520 5.10 23.89 $ 33.24 $ 69,130
Mobile, AL 610 3.59 16.81 $ 36.67 $ 76,270
Baton Rouge, LA 1,120 3.01 14.07 $ 33.90 $ 70,520
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 1,460 2.84 13.30 $ 33.06 $ 68,750
Lima, OH 120 2.69 12.58 $ 40.73 $ 84,710
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 370 2.23 10.46 $ 31.62 $ 65,760
Corpus Christi, TX 360 1.97 9.23 $ 41.81 $ 86,970
Spartanburg, SC 280 1.81 8.49 $ 23.45 $ 48,770
Boulder, CO 290 1.62 7.56 $ 30.11 $ 62,630




Top paying metropolitan areas for Chemical Plant and System Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Corpus Christi, TX 360 1.97 9.23 $ 41.81 $ 86,970
Lima, OH 120 2.69 12.58 $ 40.73 $ 84,710
Charleston, WV 140 1.38 6.46 $ 36.94 $ 76,830
Mobile, AL 610 3.59 16.81 $ 36.67 $ 76,270
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 4,750 1.60 7.50 $ 35.89 $ 74,660
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 450 0.05 0.24 $ 35.64 $ 74,120
Pittsburgh, PA (8) (8) (8) $ 35.58 $ 74,000
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 110 0.26 1.24 $ 35.08 $ 72,970
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (8) (8) (8) $ 35.07 $ 72,940
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 1,130 7.41 34.67 $ 34.41 $ 71,570

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Chemical Plant and System Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 140 0.36 1.71 $ 26.67 $ 55,480
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 120 1.26 5.92 $ 39.90 $ 83,000
East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 120 1.75 8.19 $ 20.21 $ 42,040
Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 110 0.74 3.45 $ 28.15 $ 58,540
Northeast South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 90 0.95 4.44 $ 23.45 $ 48,770

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Chemical Plant and System Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 120 1.75 8.19 $ 20.21 $ 42,040
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 120 1.26 5.92 $ 39.90 $ 83,000
Northeast South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 90 0.95 4.44 $ 23.45 $ 48,770
Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 60 0.82 3.85 $ 37.71 $ 78,440
Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 110 0.74 3.45 $ 28.15 $ 58,540

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Chemical Plant and System Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 120 1.26 5.92 $ 39.90 $ 83,000
Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 60 0.82 3.85 $ 37.71 $ 78,440
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) (8) (8) (8) $ 31.97 $ 66,500
Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $ 31.05 $ 64,580
Upper Savannah South Carolina nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $ 28.18 $ 58,620


About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021