Careers / Chemical Plant and System Operators
Chemical Plant and System Operators — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$78,120
United States, 2025
Employment
16,610
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Control or operate entire chemical processes or system of machines.
- O*NET code
- 51-8091.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Monitor recording instruments, flowmeters, panel lights, or other indicators and listen for warning signals to verify conformity of process conditions.
- Move control settings to make necessary adjustments on equipment units affecting speeds of chemical reactions, quality, or yields.
- Draw samples of products and conduct quality control tests to monitor processing and to ensure that standards are met.
- Record operating data, such as process conditions, test results, or instrument readings.
- Control or operate chemical processes or systems of machines, using panelboards, control boards, or semi-automatic equipment.
- Patrol work areas to ensure that solutions in tanks or troughs are not in danger of overflowing.
- Regulate or shut down equipment during emergency situations, as directed by supervisory personnel.
- Start pumps to wash and rinse reactor vessels, to exhaust gases or vapors, to regulate the flow of oil, steam, air, or perfume to towers, or to add products to converter or blending vessels.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$48,400
25th percentile
$60,330
75th percentile
$98,660
90th percentile
$111,930
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring4.3
- Operation and Control4.0
- Quality Control Analysis3.8
- Monitoring3.8
- Critical Thinking3.6
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
- Time Management3.1
- Active Listening3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Active Learning3.0
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 13 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
13
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Monitoring | 4.3 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Operation and Control | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.8 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.6 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Active Listening | 3.1 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Speaking | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Writing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Chemical Plant and System OperatorsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| FL | $128,830 | 60 | 2025 |
| Beaumont, TX | $117,430 | — | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $111,900 | 300 | 2025 |
| WY | $107,810 | 300 | 2025 |
| Houston, TX | $106,020 | 1,420 | 2025 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $104,410 | 1,720 | 2025 |
| TX | $102,750 | 2,360 | 2025 |
| Lake Charles, LA | $102,310 | 740 | 2025 |
| LA | $100,060 | 3,400 | 2025 |
| KY | $97,550 | 40 | 2025 |
| Mobile, AL | $96,210 | 110 | 2025 |
| MD | $95,150 | 290 | 2025 |
| New Orleans, LA | $92,260 | 460 | 2025 |
| AL | $91,610 | 230 | 2025 |
| AR | $91,610 | 240 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $90,470 | 200 | 2025 |
| Worcester, MA | $88,510 | 90 | 2025 |
| CA | $87,550 | 780 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $87,210 | 100 | 2025 |
| OR | $87,110 | 120 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Chemical Plant and System Operators to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.