Gas Plant 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
$87,820
United States, 2025
Employment
18,030
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Distribute or process gas for utility companies and others by controlling compressors to maintain specified pressures on main pipelines.
- O*NET code
- 51-8092.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- Monitor equipment functioning, observe temperature, level, and flow gauges, and perform regular unit checks to ensure that all equipment is operating as it should.
- Distribute or process gas for utility companies or industrial plants, using panel boards, control boards, and semi-automatic equipment.
- Control operation of compressors, scrubbers, evaporators, and refrigeration equipment to liquefy, compress, or regasify natural gas.
- Control equipment to regulate flow and pressure of gas to feedlines of boilers, furnaces, and related steam-generating or heating equipment.
- Record, review, and compile operations records, test results, and gauge readings such as temperatures, pressures, concentrations, and flows.
- Determine causes of abnormal pressure variances, and make corrective recommendations, such as installation of pipes to relieve overloading.
- Adjust temperature, pressure, vacuum, level, flow rate, or transfer of gas to maintain processes at required levels or to correct problems.
- Collaborate with other operators to solve unit problems.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$61,350
25th percentile
$76,870
75th percentile
$100,870
90th percentile
$115,520
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring4.1
- Operation and Control3.8
- Monitoring3.6
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3
- Quality Control Analysis3.3
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Troubleshooting3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Active Listening3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Time Management3.0
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 14 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
14
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 | 4.1 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Operation and Control | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.6 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.3 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.3 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Speaking | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Writing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
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National median $74,340
Compare with Gas Plant OperatorsSupplemental
National median $60,020
Compare with Gas Plant OperatorsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | $130,220 | 800 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $125,550 | 210 | 2025 |
| Riverside, CA | $124,480 | 90 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $118,870 | 270 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $118,640 | 50 | 2025 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $113,570 | 100 | 2025 |
| NJ | $110,900 | 190 | 2025 |
| OR | $109,760 | 70 | 2025 |
| CT | $109,060 | — | 2025 |
| Detroit, MI | $108,650 | 290 | 2025 |
| LA | $108,350 | 800 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $104,770 | 210 | 2025 |
| AZ | $104,600 | 140 | 2025 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | $104,440 | 40 | 2025 |
| MA | $103,830 | 340 | 2025 |
| MD | $102,950 | 180 | 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | $102,810 | 340 | 2025 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $102,390 | 50 | 2025 |
| SD | $101,450 | 90 | 2025 |
| AR | $100,870 | 400 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Gas Plant 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.