Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders · SOC 51-9011
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenderss
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas
Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for chemical equipment operators and tenders. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (1 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Top 25 of 196 metro areas
| # | Metro area | Median annual | Employment | Per 1,000 jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $96,790 | 1,540 | 9.4 |
| 2 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $94,450 | 1,330 | 3.0 |
| 3 | Baton Rouge, LA | $93,920 | 2,500 | 6.1 |
| 4 | Corpus Christi, TX | $91,560 | 450 | 2.3 |
| 5 | Mobile, AL | $84,740 | 700 | 4.0 |
| 6 | Montgomery, AL | $84,360 | 160 | 1.0 |
| 7 | Decatur, AL | $82,170 | 760 | 12.4 |
| 8 | Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | $82,050 | 290 | 1.8 |
| 9 | Albany, OR | $81,190 | 140 | 2.9 |
| 10 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $79,430 | 9,390 | 2.9 |
| 11 | Charleston, WV | $77,670 | 280 | 2.7 |
| 12 | Longview-Kelso, WA | $76,390 | 110 | 2.7 |
| 13 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $75,990 | 120 | 0.9 |
| 14 | Lake Charles, LA | $74,220 | 1,320 | 13.0 |
| 15 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $72,660 | 590 | 0.2 |
| 16 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $71,210 | 760 | 0.3 |
| 17 | Joplin, MO-KS | $67,790 | 120 | 1.4 |
| 18 | Elizabethtown, KY | $67,510 | 240 | 4.7 |
| 19 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $67,300 | 310 | 1.2 |
| 20 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $67,230 | 720 | 0.3 |
| 21 | Hattiesburg, MS | $66,120 | 40 | 0.6 |
| 22 | Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | $66,060 | 330 | 9.1 |
| 23 | Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | $64,600 | 80 | 0.6 |
| 24 | Vallejo, CA | $63,790 | 80 | 0.6 |
| 25 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $63,510 | 260 | 0.2 |
Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders overview.
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.