SOC 51-9011 · Production Occupations

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025United States, all industries

U.S. median annual wage$58,040

U.S. median hourly wage$27.90

U.S. employment139,630

Nationally, chemical equipment operators and tenders earned a median of $58,040 per year as of the May 2025 OEWS estimates, across 139,630 jobs. Pay varies substantially by area — look up a specific state or metro below.

National pay distribution

Pay by state

Every state and territory with a published May 2025 estimate. “Not published” means BLS suppressed the value — it never means zero. Higher medians often track higher living costs; this is not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

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Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders: pay and employment by state
State
Wyoming	$101,590	$48.84	290	1.0
Alabama	$80,330	$38.62	3,280	1.6
Montana	$79,570	$38.25	40	0.1
Louisiana	$78,580	$37.78	6,430	3.3
Idaho	$77,100	$37.07	550	0.6
Rhode Island	$69,630	$33.48	430	0.9
Washington	$67,300	$32.36	1,720	0.5
West Virginia	$66,060	$31.76	1,190	1.7
Arkansas	$64,440	$30.98	1,160	0.9
Mississippi	$64,360	$30.94	990	0.8
Delaware	$63,200	$30.39	1,160	2.4
Illinois	$61,940	$29.78	5,580	0.9
Tennessee	$60,960	$29.31	3,860	1.2
New Mexico	$60,910	$29.28	170	0.2
Ohio	$60,550	$29.11	7,830	1.4
Texas	$60,150	$28.92	20,880	1.5
Virginia	$59,970	$28.83	2,040	0.5
Maryland	$59,850	$28.78	1,220	0.4
Nebraska	$59,750	$28.73	1,020	1.0
Nevada	$58,520	$28.14	210	0.1
Connecticut	$58,490	$28.12	860	0.5
California	$58,300	$28.03	5,670	0.3
Iowa	$57,550	$27.67	2,010	1.3
Kentucky	$57,530	$27.66	3,590	1.8
Maine	$57,240	$27.52	250	0.4
Massachusetts	$56,920	$27.37	2,860	0.8
Indiana	$56,800	$27.31	6,240	2.0
Pennsylvania	$56,630	$27.22	6,230	1.0
Oregon	$56,510	$27.17	950	0.5
New Jersey	$56,500	$27.17	8,560	2.0
South Carolina	$56,240	$27.04	4,040	1.8
Kansas	$54,890	$26.39	1,920	1.3
Minnesota	$53,340	$25.64	1,170	0.4
Wisconsin	$50,870	$24.46	2,730	0.9
Missouri	$50,640	$24.35	2,790	0.9
Colorado	$50,370	$24.22	910	0.3
Oklahoma	$50,160	$24.12	790	0.5
Michigan	$50,060	$24.07	5,210	1.2
Georgia	$49,660	$23.87	4,330	0.9
North Carolina	$49,650	$23.87	5,260	1.1
New York	$49,640	$23.87	4,270	0.4
New Hampshire	$49,440	$23.77	350	0.5
South Dakota	$48,830	$23.48	230	0.5
Hawaii	$47,840	$23.00	30	0.1
Arizona	$45,790	$22.01	1,330	0.4
Florida	$44,360	$21.33	4,270	0.4
Utah	$39,020	$18.76	2,610	1.5
Puerto Rico	$36,450	$17.52	2,420	2.6

Pay by metro area

All 197 metro areas where BLS publishes this occupation. Sort by median wage, employment, or local concentration — or see the highest-paying metros ranked.

Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.

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Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders: pay and employment by metro area
Metro area
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX	$96,790	$46.53	1,540	9.4
New Orleans-Metairie, LA	$94,450	$45.41	1,330	3.0
Baton Rouge, LA	$93,920	$45.16	2,500	6.1
Corpus Christi, TX	$91,560	$44.02	450	2.3
Mobile, AL	$84,740	$40.74	700	4.0
Montgomery, AL	$84,360	$40.56	160	1.0
Decatur, AL	$82,170	$39.51	760	12.4
Gulfport-Biloxi, MS	$82,050	$39.45	290	1.8
Albany, OR	$81,190	$39.04	140	2.9
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	$79,430	$38.19	9,390	2.9
Charleston, WV	$77,670	$37.34	280	2.7
Longview-Kelso, WA	$76,390	$36.72	110	2.7
Kennewick-Richland, WA	$75,990	$36.54	120	0.9
Lake Charles, LA	$74,220	$35.68	1,320	13.0
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$72,660	$34.93	590	0.2
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$71,210	$34.24	760	0.3
Joplin, MO-KS	$67,790	$32.59	120	1.4
Elizabethtown, KY	$67,510	$32.46	240	4.7
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA	$67,300	$32.36	310	1.2
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$67,230	$32.32	720	0.3
Hattiesburg, MS	$66,120	$31.79	40	0.6
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV	$66,060	$31.76	330	9.1
Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT	$64,600	$31.06	80	0.6
Vallejo, CA	$63,790	$30.67	80	0.6
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$63,510	$30.54	260	0.2
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN	$63,490	$30.52	920	1.3
Clarksville, TN-KY	$63,370	$30.46	60	0.6
Brunswick-St. Simons, GA	$62,900	$30.24	70	1.4
Evansville, IN	$62,870	$30.23	760	5.6
Jackson, MS	$62,530	$30.06	180	0.7
Peoria, IL	$62,500	$30.05	170	1.0
Eugene-Springfield, OR	$62,390	$30.00	90	0.6
Ames, IA	$62,300	$29.95	80	1.4
Springfield, MA	$62,280	$29.94	80	0.4
Cleveland, OH	$62,200	$29.91	2,010	2.0
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$61,870	$29.74	870	0.6
Richmond, VA	$61,840	$29.73	760	1.2
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$61,770	$29.70	80	0.4
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT	$61,720	$29.68	280	0.7
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$61,660	$29.64	580	0.8
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH	$61,530	$29.58	230	0.6
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$61,250	$29.45	4,510	1.0
Kenosha, WI	$61,180	$29.41	120	1.6
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN	$61,020	$29.34	2,330	2.1
Bowling Green, KY	$60,830	$29.24	190	2.3
Toledo, OH	$60,830	$29.24	290	1.0
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$60,820	$29.24	1,770	1.6
Sheboygan, WI	$60,590	$29.13	340	5.6
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	$60,440	$29.06	320	0.7
Raleigh-Cary, NC	$60,440	$29.06	350	0.5
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$60,410	$29.04	4,110	1.4
Omaha, NE-IA	$60,370	$29.03	350	0.7
Columbus, OH	$60,260	$28.97	1,310	1.2
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	$60,080	$28.88	580	1.7
Portland-South Portland, ME	$59,820	$28.76	140	0.5
Texarkana, TX-AR	$59,490	$28.60	Not published	Not published
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC	$59,350	$28.53	1,250	2.9
Akron, OH	$59,280	$28.50	650	2.0
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	$59,230	$28.47	120	0.3
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	$59,050	$28.39	40	0.4
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ	$59,010	$28.37	740	2.0
Boise City, ID	$58,990	$28.36	Not published	Not published
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL	$58,770	$28.26	190	1.0
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$58,760	$28.25	450	0.3
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	$58,690	$28.21	150	0.1
New Haven, CT	$58,490	$28.12	110	0.4
Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI	$58,220	$27.99	250	4.1
Spartanburg, SC	$58,170	$27.97	430	2.6
Tulsa, OK	$57,880	$27.83	200	0.4
Columbia, SC	$57,870	$27.82	410	1.0
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC	$57,790	$27.79	280	1.2
Kansas City, MO-KS	$57,500	$27.64	1,450	1.3
Waterbury-Shelton, CT	$57,460	$27.63	60	0.4
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH	$57,430	$27.61	240	1.7
Charleston-North Charleston, SC	$57,410	$27.60	290	0.7
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$57,370	$27.58	1,820	0.7
Sandusky, OH	$57,240	$27.52	100	2.0
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	$57,110	$27.46	1,520	1.1
Pittsburgh, PA	$57,030	$27.42	890	0.8
Wilmington, NC	$56,990	$27.40	130	0.7
Lancaster, PA	$56,810	$27.31	180	0.7
Savannah, GA	$56,120	$26.98	340	1.7
Killeen-Temple, TX	$56,040	$26.94	80	0.6
Glens Falls, NY	$55,990	$26.92	50	0.9
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$55,750	$26.81	2,030	0.3
Bend, OR	$55,310	$26.59	70	0.7
Trenton-Princeton, NJ	$55,230	$26.55	200	0.9
Victoria, TX	$55,080	$26.48	80	2.1
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$54,790	$26.34	8,060	0.8
Modesto, CA	$54,770	$26.33	50	0.2
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$54,630	$26.26	810	0.4
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$54,560	$26.23	70	0.3
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	$54,340	$26.13	920	1.7
Manchester-Nashua, NH	$54,160	$26.04	50	0.3
St. Louis, MO-IL	$53,500	$25.72	1,250	0.9
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	$52,440	$25.21	510	0.8
Gainesville, GA	$51,660	$24.84	160	1.5
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$51,450	$24.74	150	0.5
Bakersfield-Delano, CA	$51,310	$24.67	80	0.2
Boulder, CO	$51,230	$24.63	190	1.0
Canton-Massillon, OH	$51,020	$24.53	100	0.6
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO	$50,900	$24.47	110	0.7
Lynchburg, VA	$50,840	$24.44	70	0.7
Michigan City-La Porte, IN	$50,690	$24.37	80	1.9
Worcester, MA	$50,460	$24.26	700	2.0
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	$50,320	$24.19	120	0.5
Greensboro-High Point, NC	$50,180	$24.12	770	2.1
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$50,110	$24.09	370	0.2
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	$50,020	$24.05	620	0.8
Salisbury, MD	$50,020	$24.05	50	1.0
Madison, WI	$49,920	$24.00	490	1.2
St. Joseph, MO-KS	$49,880	$23.98	200	3.7
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$49,820	$23.95	170	0.2
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI	$49,780	$23.93	600	1.0
Birmingham, AL	$49,590	$23.84	340	0.7
Appleton, WI	$49,560	$23.83	70	0.6
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI	$49,520	$23.81	70	0.8
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA	$49,460	$23.78	30	0.1
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI	$49,400	$23.75	600	5.0
Lafayette, LA	$49,380	$23.74	100	0.6
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$49,310	$23.71	590	0.5
Sioux Falls, SD-MN	$49,310	$23.71	80	0.4
Springfield, MO	$49,250	$23.68	70	0.3
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$49,240	$23.67	2,030	0.7
Reading, PA	$49,070	$23.59	250	1.4
Duluth, MN-WI	$49,030	$23.57	70	0.5
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$48,900	$23.51	400	0.2
Roanoke, VA	$48,770	$23.45	30	0.2
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	$48,670	$23.40	260	0.4
Syracuse, NY	$48,500	$23.32	90	0.3
Morristown, TN	$48,420	$23.28	100	2.2
Wichita, KS	$48,190	$23.17	290	1.0
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	$47,880	$23.02	1,430	0.8
Athens-Clarke County, GA	$47,650	$22.91	100	1.1
Green Bay, WI	$47,650	$22.91	110	0.6
Midland, TX	$47,580	$22.88	80	0.6
Stockton-Lodi, CA	$47,520	$22.84	60	0.2
Huntsville, AL	$47,510	$22.84	130	0.5
Janesville-Beloit, WI	$47,510	$22.84	130	1.9
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT	$47,430	$22.81	760	0.9
Rome, GA	$47,420	$22.80	50	1.1
Lubbock, TX	$47,320	$22.75	100	0.6
Fresno, CA	$47,280	$22.73	80	0.2
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$47,230	$22.71	3,640	0.9
Warner Robins, GA	$47,160	$22.67	40	0.6
Winston-Salem, NC	$46,980	$22.59	130	0.5
Knoxville, TN	$46,880	$22.54	190	0.4
York-Hanover, PA	$46,880	$22.54	200	1.1
Terre Haute, IN	$46,660	$22.43	230	3.5
Visalia, CA	$46,640	$22.43	30	0.2
Dalton, GA	$46,570	$22.39	180	2.7
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN	$46,530	$22.37	300	0.3
Salem, OR	$46,380	$22.30	70	0.3
Rochester, NY	$46,270	$22.25	610	1.2
Wausau, WI	$46,120	$22.17	40	0.6
Florence, SC	$46,080	$22.15	220	2.5
Greeley, CO	$45,980	$22.10	70	0.5
Fort Wayne, IN	$45,970	$22.10	120	0.5
Lansing-East Lansing, MI	$45,930	$22.08	130	0.6
Hammond, LA	$45,910	$22.07	40	0.9
Lexington-Fayette, KY	$45,820	$22.03	270	0.9
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$45,800	$22.02	1,080	0.5
Elkhart-Goshen, IN	$45,610	$21.93	280	2.2
Ann Arbor, MI	$45,590	$21.92	90	0.4
Tucson, AZ	$45,550	$21.90	110	0.3
Valdosta, GA	$45,390	$21.82	50	0.9
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR	$45,340	$21.80	150	0.4
Chattanooga, TN-GA	$45,300	$21.78	190	0.7
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	$45,250	$21.75	Not published	Not published
Greenville, NC	$45,200	$21.73	280	3.5
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA	$45,180	$21.72	170	0.7
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA	$45,110	$21.69	230	1.4
Albuquerque, NM	$45,080	$21.68	Not published	Not published
Oklahoma City, OK	$45,070	$21.67	190	0.3
Niles, MI	$44,750	$21.51	50	0.8
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	$44,700	$21.49	350	0.2
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$44,560	$21.42	900	0.6
Sumter, SC	$44,530	$21.41	100	2.8
Tyler, TX	$44,400	$21.35	60	0.6
Paducah, KY-IL	$44,220	$21.26	190	3.7
Rochester, MN	$44,060	$21.18	40	0.3
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI	$43,550	$20.94	240	1.8
Lincoln, NE	$43,080	$20.71	180	1.0
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	$41,820	$20.11	840	0.7
Fort Smith, AR-OK	$40,820	$19.62	40	0.5
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL	$40,120	$19.29	90	0.3
Jacksonville, FL	$40,000	$19.23	240	0.3
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL	$39,160	$18.83	140	0.6
Ogden, UT	$39,010	$18.76	570	2.1
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$37,900	$18.22	1,050	0.4
Waco, TX	$37,260	$17.92	240	1.9
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT	$37,200	$17.89	730	2.4
San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR	$36,450	$17.52	2,300	3.3
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX	$36,430	$17.52	430	0.4
Manhattan, KS	$36,040	$17.33	50	1.0
St. George, UT	$34,770	$16.72	230	2.5
Grand Island, NE	Not published	Not published	70	1.8

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.