Gas Plant Operator Salary


How Much Does a Gas Plant Operator Make?

On average, a Gas Plant Operator make $76,970 a year. The lowest-paid 10 percent made $47,470, while the top-paid 10 percent made $103,420.

Annually National Average Salary: $76,970

$47K
$61K
$76K
$96K
$103K
10%
25%
50%
75%
90%

* Based on information from the May 2021 salary report from the BLS.




Salary by State

  • Annually
  • Monthly
  • Hourly

Annual Salary by State

State 10% Annual 25% Annual Avg. Annual 75% Annual 90% Annual
Alabama$46,310$57,870$63,190$64,930$79,940
Alaska$56,880$70,540$81,450$93,490$105,430
Arizona$59,740$61,410$73,900$80,750$96,670
Arkansas$61,690$61,880$72,010$78,810$80,850
California$80,650$93,490$100,920$120,700$124,250
Colorado$61,710$63,770$77,600$82,400$98,680
Florida$30,830$37,910$47,550$58,290$62,960
Georgia$39,520$47,230$61,830$73,690$80,410
Idaho$44,080$59,930$70,670$78,860$94,990
Illinois$47,880$48,790$66,230$78,130$99,170
Indiana$38,960$59,260$68,490$79,300$96,270
Iowa$46,590$48,470$70,220$81,040$98,780
Kansas$48,030$62,770$70,280$77,030$79,800
Kentucky$37,900$46,990$60,520$77,360$80,260
Louisiana$45,430$48,950$75,070$100,200$108,460
Maryland$62,550$64,680$79,310$88,150$99,030
Massachusetts$71,980$90,840$94,080$97,960$103,740
Michigan$76,530$77,450$85,610$100,340$104,790
Minnesota$59,810$76,640$82,660$100,960$100,990
Mississippi$36,940$61,160$69,160$77,890$86,780
Missouri$51,960$64,000$76,580$83,810$98,560
Montana$47,470$60,550$75,840$84,850$100,990
Nebraska$51,600$63,770$73,770$81,880$81,900
New Jersey$80,250$82,520$97,120$102,210$105,670
New Mexico$36,950$48,630$64,150$78,540$98,800
New York$60,490$77,280$93,550$121,180$127,070
North Carolina$46,240$48,610$65,590$78,860$97,140
North Dakota$63,040$80,210$89,350$102,210$102,210
Ohio$37,240$37,250$57,100$78,860$82,540
Oklahoma$47,470$61,770$71,800$82,140$96,770
Oregon$73,130$79,370$83,330$81,190$102,210
Pennsylvania$49,080$61,500$71,870$79,910$94,810
South Carolina$47,830$61,630$63,400$66,490$78,270
Tennessee$36,440$38,260$56,420$71,960$80,630
Texas$61,150$77,670$88,820$103,910$119,470
Utah$61,150$78,860$108,200$129,000$174,320
Virginia$46,810$60,960$72,130$80,160$98,140
Washington$42,830$62,000$81,050$101,540$104,110
West Virginia$38,590$49,190$67,270$78,430$79,800
Wyoming$60,820$62,460$80,030$98,440$98,800
Puerto Rico$17,960$18,400$24,910$24,120$42,990

Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Utah, where the average salary is $108,200.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Utah - $108,200
California - $100,920
New Jersey - $97,120
Massachusetts - $94,080
New York - $93,550

Gas Plant Operators: Salary Overview

Gas plant operators distribute and process gas for utility companies and make sure that a specified pressure is maintained on the main pipelines.

Their job description typically includes adjusting pressure, temperature, and other indexes, controlling equipment that regulates pressure and flow of gas, controlling fractioning columns, determining causes of abnormalities, monitoring equipment, performing tests, and keeping operations records.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for gas plant operators was $70,710 as of May 2019 which means that half of all workers in this occupation earned less than this amount and half earned more.

Salaries vary depending on the industry of employment, the region, but also depending on the worker’s experience and education levels.

The bottom 10 percent reportedly made less than $44,080 per year while the top 10 percent earned more than $101,320 annually.

The 25th percentile for this profession was $56,800, which means that 75 percent of all workers in this profession earned more than this amount.

Gas Plant Operator Salary by Industry

According to BLS, the biggest employers for gas plant operators are the field of natural gas distribution, the industry of pipeline transportation of natural gas, and the oil and gas extraction sectors.

The average annual wage reported by gas plant operators in the field of natural gas distribution was $75,060.

Gas plant operators who worked in pipeline transportation of natural gas reportedly earned $70,390 per year as of May 2019 while those who worked in the field of oil and gas extraction were remunerated, on average, with $72,430.

The mean annual wage was $53,220 for gas plant operators who were employed by local governments and $72,600 for those who were employed by chemical manufacturers.

The BLS report shows that the highest-paying industry for this profession in 2019 were petroleum and coal products manufacturers- where gas plant operators were remunerated with $84,850, on average.

The second highest paying field for this occupation was the electric power generation, transmission, and distribution sector where the mean annual wage for this profession was $77,930 per year as of May 2019.

However, these top-paying fields typically hire only a few gas plant operators and job openings may not occur very often.

Salaries for this profession also vary depending on the region and the state of employment.

The numbers published by BLS show that the top-paying states for this profession in 2019 were California, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and Massachusetts.

Gas plant operators in California- which is also the state with the second-highest employment rate for this profession- reportedly earned $101,900 per year while those in Massachusetts earned $81,570.

Therefore salaries also vary across these top-paying states.

The state with the highest employment rate for this occupation was Texas.

Gas plant operators in Texas reportedly earned $68,490 per year on average- less than the mean salary for this profession across all states.

Lower-than-average salaries were also reported in Arizona, New Mexico, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Tennesse, Virginia, and Iowa.

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land- a region where this occupation was remunerated with $69,020 on average- was the metropolitan area with the highest level of employment for gas plant operators in 2019.

The top-paying region for this profession is Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California- where the average annual wage reported by workers in this occupation was $103,120 as of May 2019.

A close second is another metropolitan area in California: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim- region with an average annual wage calculated at $99,180.

Therefore, if you want to start a career as a gas plant operator, relocating to one of these top-paying regions can give you better-earning prospects.

However, your earnings will also depend upon your skills, education, experience, and your willingness to learn throughout your career.

* Based on information from the May 2021 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Gas Plant Operators. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.

* Employment conditions in your area may vary.


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