Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

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 this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
11,180 5.2 % $23.53 $48,940 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $17.64 $19.95 $23.45 $27.20 $31.32
Annual Wage (2) $36,690 $41,490 $48,770 $56,580 $65,150

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Natural gas distribution 3,120 $25.06 $52,120 1 3
Pipeline transportation of natural gas 3,000 $22.74 $47,300 2 6
Oil and gas extraction 1,780 $22.99 $47,820 3 5
Basic chemical manufacturing 1,110 $22.31 $46,400 4 7
Power generation and supply 1,060 $26.81 $55,760 5 1

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Power generation and supply 1,060 $26.81 $55,760 5 1
Other pipeline transportation (6) $25.33 $52,680 (6) 2
Natural gas distribution 3,120 $25.06 $52,120 1 3
Management of companies and enterprises 160 $24.53 $51,030 7 4
Oil and gas extraction 1,780 $22.99 $47,820 3 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Wyoming 450 $23.77 $49,440 0.187% 78
New Mexico 340 $22.11 $45,990 0.046% 135
West Virginia 280 $23.28 $48,420 0.041% 111
Louisiana 760 $23.04 $47,920 0.041% 128
Kansas 430 $22.82 $47,460 0.033% 132

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Nevada 30 $29.97 $62,350 0.003% 71
Michigan 80 $27.01 $56,180 0.002% 134
Maryland 230 $26.84 $55,830 0.009% 134
New York 600 $26.27 $54,640 0.007% 204
Washington 50 $25.75 $53,560 0.002% 174

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Lake Charles, LA MSA 60 $25.11 $52,240 0.074%
Lafayette, LA MSA 120 $22.31 $46,400 0.073%
Bryan-College Station, TX MSA 50 $25.65 $53,340 0.066%
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH MSA 70 $23.50 $48,880 0.061%
Monroe, LA MSA 40 $20.20 $42,020 0.056%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Tulsa, OK MSA 70 $30.25 $62,920 0.019%
New York, NY PMSA 160 $27.79 $57,810 0.004%
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 180 $27.59 $57,390 0.007%
Detroit, MI PMSA 60 $27.45 $57,090 0.003%
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ MSA (6) $26.44 $55,000 (6)

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. 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 mean 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.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Production Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004