Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-9011 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$58,032
$27.90/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
Get notified when this number updates
Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The national median salary for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders is $58,032 per year ($27.90/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $45,968 and $74,090 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $92,248 per year. There are approximately 139,630 chemical equipment operators and tenders employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Operate or tend equipment to control chemical changes or reactions in the processing of industrial or consumer products. Equipment used includes devulcanizers, steam-jacketed kettles, and reactor vessels.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.3%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
14K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
129K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
3% from new growth97% 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
72K
$61,600
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing
NAICS 325400
33K
$49,820
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only)
NAICS 3250A2
20K
$48,550
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
3K
$41,960
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
NAICS 324100
2K
$98,320
Wage range across top 5 industries: $41,960 to $98,320 (134% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$18.00
$37,440
P25
$22.10
$45,968
P50MEDIAN
$27.90
$58,032
P75
$35.62
$74,090
P90
$44.35
$92,248
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 equipment operators and tenders salary?
The national median salary for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders is $58,032 per year ($27.90/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $45,968 and $74,090 annually.
How much do top-earning chemical equipment operators and tenders make?
The 90th percentile salary for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders is $92,248 per year ($44.35/hr). The 75th percentile is $74,090 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for chemical equipment operators and tenders?
Entry-level Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders (10th percentile) earn approximately $37,440 per year ($18.00/hr). The 25th percentile is $45,968 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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.