Chemical Plant and System Operators Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-8091 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$78,125
$37.56/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Chemical Plant and System Operators is $78,125 per year ($37.56/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $60,341 and $98,675 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $111,925 per year. There are approximately 16,610 chemical plant and system operators employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Control or operate entire chemical processes or system of machines.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-6.1%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
2K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
18K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)
NAICS 3250A1
11K
$82,200
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing
NAICS 325400
1K
$58,150
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only)
NAICS 4240A2
650
$59,320
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
640
$67,190
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only)
NAICS 3250A2
630
$79,260
Wage range across top 5 industries: $58,150 to $82,200 (41% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$23.27
$48,402
P25
$29.01
$60,341
P50MEDIAN
$37.56
$78,125
P75
$47.44
$98,675
P90
$53.81
$111,925
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average chemical plant and system operators salary?
The national median salary for Chemical Plant and System Operators is $78,125 per year ($37.56/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $60,341 and $98,675 annually.
How much do top-earning chemical plant and system operators make?
The 90th percentile salary for Chemical Plant and System Operators is $111,925 per year ($53.81/hr). The 75th percentile is $98,675 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for chemical plant and system operators?
Entry-level Chemical Plant and System Operators (10th percentile) earn approximately $48,402 per year ($23.27/hr). The 25th percentile is $60,341 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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