Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
51-8092 Gas Plant Operators
Distribute or process gas for utility companies and others by controlling compressors to maintain specified pressures on main pipelines.
National estimates for Gas Plant Operators
Industry profile for Gas Plant Operators
Geographic profile for Gas Plant Operators
National estimates for Gas Plant Operators:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Gas Plant Operators:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 15,110 |
3.7 % |
$ 37.01 |
$ 76,970 |
1.2 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Gas Plant Operators:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 22.82 |
$ 29.53 |
$ 37.43 |
$ 46.25 |
$ 49.72 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 47,470 |
$ 61,410 |
$ 77,850 |
$ 96,200 |
$ 103,420 |
Industry profile for Gas Plant Operators:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Gas Plant Operators are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Gas Plant Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Gas Plant Operators:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
6,190 |
5.64 |
$ 37.41 |
$ 77,810 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
3,550 |
11.77 |
$ 37.41 |
$ 77,800 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
1,220 |
0.02 |
$ 26.42 |
$ 54,950 |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) |
1,190 |
0.34 |
$ 48.97 |
$ 101,850 |
| Oil and Gas Extraction |
1,040 |
0.97 |
$ 34.00 |
$ 70,720 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Gas Plant Operators:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
3,550 |
11.77 |
$ 37.41 |
$ 77,800 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
6,190 |
5.64 |
$ 37.41 |
$ 77,810 |
| Oil and Gas Extraction |
1,040 |
0.97 |
$ 34.00 |
$ 70,720 |
| Other Pipeline Transportation |
30 |
0.41 |
$ 39.32 |
$ 81,790 |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) |
1,190 |
0.34 |
$ 48.97 |
$ 101,850 |
Top paying industries for Gas Plant Operators:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) |
1,190 |
0.34 |
$ 48.97 |
$ 101,850 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
330 |
0.01 |
$ 46.77 |
$ 97,290 |
| Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing |
110 |
0.11 |
$ 42.53 |
$ 88,450 |
| Other Pipeline Transportation |
30 |
0.41 |
$ 39.32 |
$ 81,790 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
6,190 |
5.64 |
$ 37.41 |
$ 77,810 |
Geographic profile for Gas Plant Operators:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Gas Plant Operators are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Gas Plant Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Gas Plant Operators:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Texas |
2,410 |
0.20 |
1.84 |
$ 42.70 |
$ 88,820 |
| Pennsylvania |
1,600 |
0.29 |
2.67 |
$ 34.55 |
$ 71,870 |
| Oklahoma |
800 |
0.51 |
4.79 |
$ 34.52 |
$ 71,800 |
| Florida |
790 |
0.09 |
0.86 |
$ 22.86 |
$ 47,550 |
| California |
790 |
0.05 |
0.44 |
$ 48.52 |
$ 100,920 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Gas Plant Operators:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| North Dakota |
740 |
1.87 |
17.45 |
$ 42.96 |
$ 89,350 |
| Wyoming |
380 |
1.44 |
13.46 |
$ 38.48 |
$ 80,030 |
| Oklahoma |
800 |
0.51 |
4.79 |
$ 34.52 |
$ 71,800 |
| New Mexico |
300 |
0.39 |
3.64 |
$ 30.84 |
$ 64,150 |
| Pennsylvania |
1,600 |
0.29 |
2.67 |
$ 34.55 |
$ 71,870 |
Top paying states for Gas Plant Operators:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Gas Plant 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 |
1,170 |
0.40 |
3.75 |
$ 46.67 |
$ 97,080 |
| Pittsburgh, PA |
460 |
0.45 |
4.15 |
$ 35.68 |
$ 74,210 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
400 |
0.05 |
0.43 |
$ 47.89 |
$ 99,600 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
380 |
0.07 |
0.62 |
$ 47.48 |
$ 98,750 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
290 |
0.07 |
0.65 |
$ 32.24 |
$ 67,060 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
270 |
0.10 |
0.94 |
$ 35.75 |
$ 74,370 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
270 |
0.07 |
0.69 |
$ 40.09 |
$ 83,380 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
230 |
0.13 |
1.21 |
$ 41.75 |
$ 86,830 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL |
230 |
0.18 |
1.68 |
$ 22.50 |
$ 46,810 |
| Tulsa, OK |
230 |
0.54 |
5.06 |
$ 36.20 |
$ 75,300 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Gas Plant Operators:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Williamsport, PA |
50 |
0.98 |
9.10 |
$ 36.50 |
$ 75,920 |
| Casper, WY |
30 |
0.87 |
8.12 |
$ 36.75 |
$ 76,440 |
| Corpus Christi, TX |
130 |
0.73 |
6.82 |
$ 44.88 |
$ 93,360 |
| Tuscaloosa, AL |
70 |
0.69 |
6.41 |
$ 34.94 |
$ 72,670 |
| Midland, TX |
60 |
0.59 |
5.47 |
$ 33.97 |
$ 70,650 |
| Tulsa, OK |
230 |
0.54 |
5.06 |
$ 36.20 |
$ 75,300 |
| Pittsburgh, PA |
460 |
0.45 |
4.15 |
$ 35.68 |
$ 74,210 |
| Baton Rouge, LA |
160 |
0.42 |
3.96 |
$ 33.38 |
$ 69,420 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
1,170 |
0.40 |
3.75 |
$ 46.67 |
$ 97,080 |
| Columbia, SC |
130 |
0.36 |
3.35 |
$ 30.92 |
$ 64,310 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Gas Plant Operators:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
400 |
0.05 |
0.43 |
$ 47.89 |
$ 99,600 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
380 |
0.07 |
0.62 |
$ 47.48 |
$ 98,750 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
1,170 |
0.40 |
3.75 |
$ 46.67 |
$ 97,080 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
40 |
0.03 |
0.26 |
$ 46.23 |
$ 96,160 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
60 |
0.04 |
0.37 |
$ 45.75 |
$ 95,170 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
60 |
0.02 |
0.22 |
$ 45.29 |
$ 94,200 |
| Corpus Christi, TX |
130 |
0.73 |
6.82 |
$ 44.88 |
$ 93,360 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
100 |
0.06 |
0.51 |
$ 43.03 |
$ 89,500 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI |
50 |
0.10 |
0.90 |
$ 42.31 |
$ 87,990 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
230 |
0.13 |
1.21 |
$ 41.75 |
$ 86,830 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Gas Plant Operators:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Gas Plant Operators:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Gas Plant Operators:
About May 2021 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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
