Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 51-8092

Gas Plant Operators

Median pay sits 29% above the mid peer in Production Occupations (neighbors include Nuclear Power Reactor Operators, Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators, Chemical Plant and System Operators, Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Gas Plant Operators: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($123K) , Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators ($60K) , Chemical Plant and System Operators ($78K) , 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 Gas Plant Operators publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-8092 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Monitor equipment functioning, observe temperature, level, and flow gauges, and perform regular unit checks to ensure that all equipment…
  2. 2. Distribute or process gas for utility companies or industrial plants, using panel boards, control boards, and semi-automatic equipment
  3. 3. Control operation of compressors, scrubbers, evaporators, and refrigeration equipment to liquefy, compress, or regasify natural gas
  4. 4. Control equipment to regulate flow and pressure of gas to feedlines of boilers, furnaces, and related steam-generating or heating equipment
  5. 5. Record, review, and compile operations records, test results, and gauge readings such as temperatures, pressures, concentrations, and flows
  6. 6. Determine causes of abnormal pressure variances, and make corrective recommendations, such as installation of pipes to relieve overloading
  7. 7. Adjust temperature, pressure, vacuum, level, flow rate, or transfer of gas to maintain processes at required levels or to correct problems
  8. 8. Collaborate with other operators to solve unit problems
  9. 9. Monitor transportation and storage of flammable and other potentially dangerous products to ensure that safety guidelines are followed
  10. 10. Start and shut down plant equipment
  11. 11. Read logsheets to determine product demand and disposition, or to detect malfunctions
  12. 12. Control fractioning columns, compressors, purifying towers, heat exchangers, and related equipment to extract nitrogen and oxygen from air

Gas Plant Operators: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-8092 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Public Safety and Security. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 4.1
  2. 2. Operation and Control 3.8
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.6
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.5
  5. 5. Quality Control Analysis 3.3
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 3.3
  7. 7. Reading Comprehension 3.1
  8. 8. Active Listening 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 3.9
  2. 2. Mechanical 3.8
  3. 3. English Language 3.6
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.4
  5. 5. Mathematics 3.2
  6. 6. Engineering and Technology 3.1
Pay vs Production Occupations peers
+29%
vs mid peer median $68,120
This role $87,820/yr
$88K
National median
↓ -9%
Growth 2024-2034
1,300
Annual openings
18,030
Estimated US jobs
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Highest-pay peer · $123K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Gas Plant Operators

1. Arizona $104,600
2. Arkansas $100,870
3. Louisiana $108,350
4. Connecticut $109,060
5. Maryland $102,950
6. South Dakota $101,450
7. Massachusetts $103,830
8. New Jersey $110,900
9. California $130,220
10. Oregon $109,760

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Chemical Plant and System Operators $78,120
  2. 2. Nuclear Power Reactor Operators $122,890
  3. 3. Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers $96,710
  4. 4. Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers $65,380
  5. 5. Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters $62,620
  6. 6. Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators $60,020

Among Production Occupations peers on this card, Gas Plant Operators sits 29% above the mid peer median ($68,120). Its own median is $87,820.

Employment Projections expect -9% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,300 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: Arizona at $104,600. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators at $122,890. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Gas Plant Operators pay-rank #5 in Production Occupations

Among 105 detailed Production Occupations with a published OEWS median, Gas Plant Operators is pay-rank #5, 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.

Gas Plant Operators pays 29% above its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Gas Plant Operators salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 51-8092

Arizona · top state for Gas Plant Operators

$105K published median

Arkansas · #2 state pay

$101K · behind Arizona

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Highest-pay peer vs Gas Plant Operators · $123K

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

Lower-pay peer beside Gas Plant Operators · $60K

Compare Gas Plant Operators

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Gas Plant Operators with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Gas Plant Operators

Against another occupation

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Production Occupations titles sit near Gas Plant Operators at the top of the pay table? ▼
Gas Plant Operators is pay-rank #5 of 105 detailed Production Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers ($97K), Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators ($79K), Chemical Plant and System Operators ($78K), First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers ($74K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do gas plant operators do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Gas Plant Operators. Leading ones include: Monitor equipment functioning, observe temperature, level, and flow gauges, and perform regular unit checks to ensure that all equipment…; Distribute or process gas for utility companies or industrial plants, using panel boards, control boards, and semi-automatic equipment; Control operation of compressors, scrubbers, evaporators, and refrigeration equipment to liquefy, compress, or regasify natural gas; Control equipment to regulate flow and pressure of gas to feedlines of boilers, furnaces, and related steam-generating or heating equipment. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for gas plant operators? ▼
For SOC 51-8092, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (4.1), Operation and Control (3.8), Monitoring (3.6), Critical Thinking (3.5). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, Mechanical, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Gas Plant Operators? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $87,820 as the national median for Gas Plant Operators. The published 10th-90th range is $61,350 to $115,520. Beside Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($122,890), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Gas Plant Operators? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Gas Plant Operators is -9%. Projected annual openings: about 1,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Gas Plant Operators? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Gas Plant Operators. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Gas Plant Operators? ▼
Arizona ($104,600), Arkansas ($100,870), Louisiana ($108,350) 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 Gas Plant Operators card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 51-8092. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Gas Plant Operators. 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