Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

51-8091 Chemical Plant and System Operators

Control or operate entire chemical processes or system of machines.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic 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)
40,580 4.3 % $26.40 $54,920 1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $16.55 $20.95 $26.90 $32.52 $35.81
Annual Wage (2) $34,430 $43,570 $55,940 $67,640 $74,480


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Basic Chemical Manufacturing 17,260 12.10 $27.23 $56,640
Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing 8,470 9.66 $26.81 $55,770
Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing 5,000 14.12 $23.73 $49,360
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 2,370 2.14 $27.19 $56,540
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 1,890 0.71 $24.48 $50,920

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing 5,000 14.12 $23.73 $49,360
Basic Chemical Manufacturing 17,260 12.10 $27.23 $56,640
Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing 8,470 9.66 $26.81 $55,770
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 2,370 2.14 $27.19 $56,540
Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing 1,780 2.11 $29.27 $60,870

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Oil and Gas Extraction (8) (8) $32.59 $67,780
Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing 1,780 2.11 $29.27 $60,870
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 40 0.01 $29.24 $60,820
Basic Chemical Manufacturing 17,260 12.10 $27.23 $56,640
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 2,370 2.14 $27.19 $56,540


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 8,580 0.83 2.63 $31.77 $66,090
Louisiana 4,060 2.21 6.98 $28.27 $58,800
Illinois 2,470 0.44 1.40 $25.58 $53,200
South Carolina 1,930 1.09 3.45 $20.96 $43,600
Tennessee 1,720 0.66 2.09 $26.31 $54,710




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 4,060 2.21 6.98 $28.27 $58,800
South Carolina 1,930 1.09 3.45 $20.96 $43,600
West Virginia 600 0.86 2.71 $26.65 $55,440
Texas 8,580 0.83 2.63 $31.77 $66,090
Tennessee 1,720 0.66 2.09 $26.31 $54,710




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wyoming 120 0.45 1.44 $33.86 $70,430
Montana 180 0.43 1.37 $33.65 $69,990
Texas 8,580 0.83 2.63 $31.77 $66,090
Kansas 250 0.19 0.60 $29.44 $61,230
Utah 300 0.25 0.80 $29.03 $60,380





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 6,360 2.49 7.88 $32.11 $66,800
Baton Rouge, LA 2,050 5.75 18.18 $31.89 $66,340
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 1,370 0.38 1.21 $25.04 $52,070
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA 890 1.75 5.54 $26.04 $54,170
Lake Charles, LA 890 10.29 32.52 $22.14 $46,050
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 780 0.43 1.35 $23.85 $49,620
Richmond, VA 740 1.26 3.97 (8) (8)
Victoria, TX 670 14.13 44.68 $31.48 $65,480
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 630 1.08 3.40 $26.80 $55,740
Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH 610 9.17 28.98 $27.38 $56,940




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Victoria, TX 670 14.13 44.68 $31.48 $65,480
Lake Charles, LA 890 10.29 32.52 $22.14 $46,050
Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH 610 9.17 28.98 $27.38 $56,940
Cleveland, TN 210 5.91 18.70 $27.21 $56,600
Baton Rouge, LA 2,050 5.75 18.18 $31.89 $66,340
Decatur, AL 190 3.65 11.55 $24.08 $50,080
Spartanburg, SC 380 3.36 10.63 $19.98 $41,560
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 6,360 2.49 7.88 $32.11 $66,800
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 380 2.48 7.85 $32.02 $66,590
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 500 2.46 7.76 $28.19 $58,630




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 6,360 2.49 7.88 $32.11 $66,800
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 380 2.48 7.85 $32.02 $66,590
Baton Rouge, LA 2,050 5.75 18.18 $31.89 $66,340
Victoria, TX 670 14.13 44.68 $31.48 $65,480
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division 40 0.05 0.16 $31.23 $64,950
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division (8) (8) (8) $29.81 $62,000
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 40 0.04 0.13 $29.81 $61,990
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 30 0.03 0.11 $29.52 $61,390
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC (8) (8) (8) $29.25 $60,840
Salt Lake City, UT (8) (8) (8) $29.02 $60,360

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 550 4.38 13.86 $26.35 $54,820
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 470 2.15 6.79 $26.34 $54,780
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 300 2.06 6.52 $28.12 $58,490
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 150 0.40 1.27 $29.74 $61,860
Western Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 150 0.62 1.96 $20.53 $42,710

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 550 4.38 13.86 $26.35 $54,820
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 470 2.15 6.79 $26.34 $54,780
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 300 2.06 6.52 $28.12 $58,490
Western Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 150 1.12 3.54 $26.20 $54,490
North Missouri nonmetropolitan area 90 1.08 3.40 $17.80 $37,030

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 150 0.40 1.27 $29.74 $61,860
New Iberia nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $29.65 $61,680
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 300 2.06 6.52 $28.12 $58,490
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $27.14 $56,460
Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 550 4.38 13.86 $26.35 $54,820


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. 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.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012