Average Chemical Plant Operator Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Chemical Plant Operator salary for 2024 in United States and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Chemical Plant Operator Make in United States?

A Chemical Plant Operator working in United States will typically earn around 73,100 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 34,700 USD to the highest average salary of 112,700 USD.

Average Annual Salary
73,100 USD
Average Monthly Salary
6,091 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
34,700 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,891 USD

Highest Annual Salary
112,700 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
9,391 USD

These are average salaries for a Chemical Plant Operator in United States and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Chemical Plant Operator to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Chemical Plant Operator salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Chemical Plant Operator Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries a Chemical Plant Operator will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Chemical Plant Operator can earn between 34,700 USD and 112,700 USD on average in United States. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Chemical Plant Operator in United States is 74,000 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 74,000 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 74,000 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Chemical Plant Operator salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 46,900 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 46,900 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 93,600 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 93,600 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Chemical Plant Operator Salary by Experience Level in United States

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average chemical plant operator salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Chemical Plant Operator in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 42,500 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Chemical Plant Operator salary would increase to 54,100 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Chemical Plant Operator, the average salary would be 73,500 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 92,200 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Chemical Plant Operator with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 99,600 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Chemical Plant Operator with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 105,800 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
42,500 USD
2-5 Years +29%
54,100 USD
5-10 Years +38%
73,500 USD
10-15 Years +24%
92,200 USD
15-20 Years +7%
99,600 USD
20+ Years +7%
105,800 USD

Chemical Plant Operator Salary by Education Level in United States

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Chemical Plant Operator in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Chemical Plant Operator in United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 54,100 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Chemical Plant Operator in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 75,900 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Chemical Plant Operator in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 107,300 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
54,100 USD
Certificate or Diploma +43%
75,900 USD
Bachelor's Degree +38%
107,300 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Chemical Plant Operator Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United States, a male chemical plant operator will earn an average of 71,700 USD, while a female chemical plant operator will earn around 68,200 USD.

This means that a male chemical plant operator earns approximately 5% more than a female chemical plant operator for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
71,700 USD
Female -5%
68,200 USD

Chemical Plant Operator Average Pay Raise in United States

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Chemical Plant Operator in United States is around 11% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that a Chemical Plant Operator in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Chemical Plant Operator Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Chemical Plant Operator is a high bonus based job, with 82% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

18% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9%.

Received Bonus
82%
No Bonus
18%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Chemical Plant Operator

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Chemical Plant Operator in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Assistant Yard Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 90,000 USD
Associate Analyst Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 95,400 USD
Associate Landman Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 41,100 USD
Auxiliary Equipment Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 38,100 USD
Biomass Plant Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 40,200 USD
Biomass Power Plant Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 121,800 USD
Chief Contract Compliance Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 96,500 USD
Completions Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 83,800 USD
Cost Controller Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 66,700 USD
Cost Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 81,300 USD
Crude Oil Marketing Representative Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 96,400 USD
Dispatcher Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 39,500 USD
Distribution Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 124,500 USD
Dragline Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 45,100 USD
Driller Offsider Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 33,600 USD
Dump Truck Driver Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 36,500 USD
Electric and Gas Operations Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 210,600 USD
Energy Advisor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 134,700 USD
Energy Analyst Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 125,400 USD
Energy Auditor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 112,700 USD
Energy Dispatch Director Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 147,900 USD
Energy Technical Assistant Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 54,700 USD
Energy Technical Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 114,600 USD
Energy Technical Support Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 114,600 USD
Energy Technical Trainer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 75,000 USD
Engineering Geologist Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 160,600 USD
Exploration Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 152,900 USD
Field Safety Auditor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 103,600 USD
Fluids Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 84,600 USD
Fuel Cell Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 91,600 USD
Fuel Cell Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 46,400 USD
Fuels Handler Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 43,200 USD
Gas Compressor Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 36,500 USD
Gas Distribution Plant Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 72,000 USD
Gas Supply Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 128,200 USD
Geologist Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 153,700 USD
Geophysicist Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 163,800 USD
Geothermal Production Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 146,700 USD
Geothermal Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 62,100 USD
HSE Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 86,100 USD
HSE Officer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 54,100 USD
HSE Supervisor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 66,900 USD
HSEQ Administrator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 65,400 USD
Inspector Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 86,100 USD
Instructor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 71,900 USD
Instrument Designer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 70,000 USD
Lead Technical Field Advisor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 116,400 USD
Logistics and Tool Coordinator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 78,700 USD
Maintenance Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 93,800 USD
Maintenance Superintendent Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 78,200 USD
Material Controller Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 59,000 USD
Mine Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 87,500 USD
Mine Surveyor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 96,600 USD
Mining Project Administrator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 80,400 USD
Mining Project Assistant Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 63,900 USD
Mining Project Controls Consultant Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 95,100 USD
Mining Project Coordinator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 78,700 USD
Mining Project Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 87,800 USD
Mining Project Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 114,300 USD
Mining Site Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 114,900 USD
Mining Team Leader Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 87,400 USD
NDT Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 54,300 USD
Oil Service Unit Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 42,700 USD
Oil Trader Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 115,600 USD
Oilwell Pumper Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 33,000 USD
Petroleum Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 98,800 USD
Petroleum Geologist Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 152,900 USD
Petroleum Pump System Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 49,400 USD
Petroleum Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 50,100 USD
Pipeline Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 33,500 USD
Power Coordinator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 54,700 USD
Power Plant Operations Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 175,100 USD
Power Plant Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 73,300 USD
Radio Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 37,900 USD
Reliability Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 86,600 USD
Reservoir Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 83,200 USD
Risk Analyst Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 112,700 USD
Roughneck Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 87,500 USD
Scaffolder Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 57,000 USD
Shutdown Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 76,600 USD
Solar Energy Installation Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 128,200 USD
Solar Energy Systems Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 94,100 USD
Solar Photovoltaic Installer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 61,400 USD
Solar Thermal Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 53,300 USD
Supply Operations Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 140,200 USD
Sustainability Specialist Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 139,100 USD
System Development Advisor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 105,800 USD
Tanker Truck Driver Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 35,500 USD
Utility Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 48,600 USD
Wind Energy Project Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 119,700 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Atlanta 68,500 USD
Austin 81,600 USD
Baltimore 72,700 USD
Boston 74,500 USD
Bristol 61,400 USD
Chicago 84,800 USD
Cincinnati 62,600 USD
Cleveland 62,600 USD
Dallas 76,900 USD
Denver 71,400 USD
Detroit 77,300 USD
Honolulu 58,600 USD
Houston 83,300 USD
Indianapolis 78,500 USD
Iowa City 59,100 USD
Jacksonville 76,600 USD
Kansas City 68,200 USD
Kent 61,800 USD
Las Vegas 75,000 USD
Long Beach 65,700 USD
Los Angeles 81,600 USD
Memphis 74,700 USD
Miami 70,900 USD
Minneapolis 63,900 USD
New Orleans 67,500 USD
New York 83,000 USD
Oakland 63,200 USD
Oklahoma City 74,500 USD
Orlando 59,500 USD
Philadelphia 84,200 USD
Phoenix 87,300 USD
Sacramento 72,800 USD
San Antonio 80,000 USD
San Diego 84,500 USD
San Francisco 74,700 USD
San Jose 78,700 USD
Seattle 75,000 USD
Tampa 64,600 USD
Vancouver 60,000 USD
Washington D.C. 73,700 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 73,300 USD
Alaska 64,300 USD
Arizona 71,900 USD
Arkansas 71,700 USD
California 81,600 USD
Colorado 73,700 USD
Connecticut 69,400 USD
Delaware 66,100 USD
District of Columbia 63,400 USD
Florida 79,000 USD
Georgia 81,300 USD
Hawaii 70,800 USD
Idaho 66,200 USD
Illinois 78,200 USD
Indiana 79,000 USD
Iowa 73,700 USD
Kansas 68,300 USD
Kentucky 71,700 USD
Louisiana 77,400 USD
Maine 69,400 USD
Maryland 76,000 USD
Massachusetts 73,500 USD
Michigan 80,300 USD
Minnesota 76,000 USD
Mississippi 69,100 USD
Missouri 73,100 USD
Montana 68,900 USD
Nebraska 69,400 USD
Nevada 68,900 USD
New Hampshire 65,500 USD
New Jersey 78,700 USD
New Mexico 69,200 USD
New York 80,200 USD
North Carolina 73,700 USD
North Dakota 65,100 USD
Ohio 79,600 USD
Oklahoma 68,300 USD
Oregon 77,000 USD
Pennsylvania 79,600 USD
Rhode Island 66,900 USD
South Carolina 69,200 USD
South Dakota 69,700 USD
Tennessee 78,200 USD
Texas 79,600 USD
Utah 66,100 USD
Vermont 67,400 USD
Virginia 80,200 USD
Washington 74,700 USD
West Virginia 65,900 USD
Wisconsin 78,500 USD
Wyoming 65,500 USD

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