Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 51-9011

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders

The published band from $37,440 to $92,250 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Power Distributors and Dispatchers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders: Power Distributors and Dispatchers ($107K) , Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers ($63K) , Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers ($68K) , Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers ($97K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-9011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Observe safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions
  2. 2. Record operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times, or test results
  3. 3. Control or operate equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products
  4. 4. Patrol work areas to detect leaks or equipment malfunctions or to monitor operating conditions
  5. 5. Draw samples of products at specified stages so that analyses can be performed
  6. 6. Adjust controls to regulate temperature, pressure, feed, or flow of liquids or gases and times of prescribed reactions, according to know…
  7. 7. Monitor gauges, recording instruments, flowmeters, or products to ensure that specified conditions are maintained
  8. 8. Test product samples for specific gravity, chemical characteristics, pH levels, concentrations, or viscosities, or send them to laborator…
  9. 9. Inspect equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions, shutting equipment down, if necessary
  10. 10. Open valves or start pumps, agitators, reactors, blowers, or automatic feed of materials
  11. 11. Read plant specifications to determine products, ingredients, or prescribed modifications of plant procedures
  12. 12. Implement appropriate industrial emergency response procedures

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-9011 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Production and Processing. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 3.9
  2. 2. Operation and Control 3.9
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.8
  4. 4. Reading Comprehension 3.4
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.4
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 3.4
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 3.4
  8. 8. Speaking 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Production and Processing 4.5
  2. 2. Chemistry 4.4
  3. 3. Mechanical 4.1
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.7
  5. 5. English Language 3.7
  6. 6. Mathematics 3.5
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$37,440 to $92,250
median $58,040 · ~2.5× spread
$58K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
14,400
Annual openings
139,630
Estimated US jobs
Power Distributors and Dispatchers
Highest-pay peer · $107K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders

1. Mississippi $64,360
2. Louisiana $78,580
3. Wyoming $101,590
4. West Virginia $66,060
5. Rhode Island $69,630
6. Idaho $77,100
7. Alabama $80,330
8. Arkansas $64,440
9. Washington $67,300
10. Montana $79,570

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers $68,120
  2. 2. Power Distributors and Dispatchers $106,730
  3. 3. Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers $62,750
  4. 4. Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers $96,710
  5. 5. Chemical Plant and System Operators $78,120
  6. 6. Gas Plant Operators $87,820

The OEWS band for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders runs from $37,440 (10th) to $92,250 (90th), about 2.5× wide, with median $58,040. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 14,400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Mississippi at $64,360. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Power Distributors and Dispatchers at $106,730. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders pay-rank #19 in Production Occupations

Among 105 detailed Production Occupations with a published OEWS median, Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders is pay-rank #19, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 51-9011

Mississippi · top state for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders

$64K published median

Louisiana · #2 state pay

$79K · behind Mississippi

Power Distributors and Dispatchers

Highest-pay peer vs Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders · $107K

Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers

Lower-pay peer beside Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders · $63K

Compare Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Production Occupations titles sit near Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders at the top of the pay table? ▼
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders is pay-rank #19 of 105 detailed Production Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic ($58K), Tire Builders ($57K), Machinists ($59K), Model Makers, Wood ($57K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do chemical equipment operators and tenders do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders. Leading ones include: Observe safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions; Record operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times, or test results; Control or operate equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products; Patrol work areas to detect leaks or equipment malfunctions or to monitor operating conditions. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for chemical equipment operators and tenders? ▼
For SOC 51-9011, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (3.9), Operation and Control (3.9), Monitoring (3.8), Reading Comprehension (3.4). Knowledge areas emphasize Production and Processing, Chemistry, Mechanical. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $37,440 and the 90th at $92,250 for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders (2.5× spread). The national median is $58,040. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 14,400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders? ▼
Mississippi ($64,360), Louisiana ($78,580), Wyoming ($101,590) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 51-9011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics