Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders pay in the U.S.
$60,710avg. a year
$29.19 an hour · 139,630 employed
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders in the U.S. earn an average of $60,710 a year and a median of $58,040. Pay is highest in Wyoming ($84,480) and lowest in Utah ($45,400).
$58,040Median pay
$29.19Average hourly
+14%Avg. pay since 2020
139,630Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for chemical equipment operators and tenders
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1290 jobs
Wyoming
$84,480
$40.61 an hour
26,430 jobs
Louisiana
$79,770
$38.35 an hour
340 jobs
Montana
$77,590
$37.30 an hour
4430 jobs
Rhode Island
$73,080
$35.14 an hour
51,190 jobs
West Virginia
$70,410
$33.85 an hour
63,280 jobs
Alabama
$70,250
$33.77 an hour
720,880 jobs
Texas
$68,970
$33.16 an hour
8550 jobs
Idaho
$68,400
$32.89 an hour
91,720 jobs
Washington
$68,000
$32.69 an hour
101,160 jobs
Delaware
$65,630
$31.55 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $55k$55k–$59k$59k–$64k$64k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | $89,350 | $42.96 |
| Decatur, AL | $83,730 | $40.25 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $83,100 | $39.95 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $82,810 | $39.81 |
| Mobile, AL | $80,750 | $38.82 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $78,020 | $37.51 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | $76,710 | $36.88 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $76,400 | $36.73 |
Related jobs
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$53,450
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,590
- Production Workers, All Other$44,380
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$54,320
- Helpers--Production Workers$41,120
- Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,620
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $70,250 | $80,330 | 3,280 |
| Arizona | $50,800 | $45,790 | 1,330 |
| Arkansas | $64,900 | $64,440 | 1,160 |
| California | $60,460 | $58,300 | 5,670 |
| Colorado | $54,540 | $50,370 | 910 |
| Connecticut | $58,620 | $58,490 | 860 |
| Delaware | $65,630 | $63,200 | 1,160 |
| Florida | $47,040 | $44,360 | 4,270 |
| Georgia | $51,900 | $49,660 | 4,330 |
| Hawaii | $50,890 | $47,840 | 30 |
| Idaho | $68,400 | $77,100 | 550 |
| Illinois | $64,120 | $61,940 | 5,580 |
| Indiana | $56,010 | $56,800 | 6,240 |
| Iowa | $60,430 | $57,550 | 2,010 |
| Kansas | $56,800 | $54,890 | 1,920 |
| Kentucky | $61,950 | $57,530 | 3,590 |
| Louisiana | $79,770 | $78,580 | 6,430 |
| Maine | $55,700 | $57,240 | 250 |
| Maryland | $59,650 | $59,850 | 1,220 |
| Massachusetts | $57,580 | $56,920 | 2,860 |
| Michigan | $56,570 | $50,060 | 5,210 |
| Minnesota | $55,130 | $53,340 | 1,170 |
| Mississippi | $60,140 | $64,360 | 990 |
| Missouri | $54,290 | $50,640 | 2,790 |
| Montana | $77,590 | $79,570 | 40 |
| Nebraska | $57,300 | $59,750 | 1,020 |
| Nevada | $58,690 | $58,520 | 210 |
| New Hampshire | $53,430 | $49,440 | 350 |
| New Jersey | $58,670 | $56,500 | 8,560 |
| New Mexico | $63,230 | $60,910 | 170 |
| New York | $54,890 | $49,640 | 4,270 |
| North Carolina | $53,270 | $49,650 | 5,260 |
| Ohio | $63,120 | $60,550 | 7,830 |
| Oklahoma | $56,100 | $50,160 | 790 |
| Oregon | $59,530 | $56,510 | 950 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,170 | $56,630 | 6,230 |
| Rhode Island | $73,080 | $69,630 | 430 |
| South Carolina | $55,270 | $56,240 | 4,040 |
| South Dakota | $51,430 | $48,830 | 230 |
| Tennessee | $57,020 | $60,960 | 3,860 |
| Texas | $68,970 | $60,150 | 20,880 |
| Utah | $45,400 | $39,020 | 2,610 |
| Virginia | $59,350 | $59,970 | 2,040 |
| Washington | $68,000 | $67,300 | 1,720 |
| West Virginia | $70,410 | $66,060 | 1,190 |
| Wisconsin | $54,510 | $50,870 | 2,730 |
| Wyoming | $84,480 | $101,590 | 290 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$76,400
9,390 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$57,420
8,060 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$62,440
4,510 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$62,100
4,110 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$54,070
3,640 jobsBaton Rouge, LA
$89,350
2,500 jobsIndianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
$57,020
2,330 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$51,450
2,030 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do chemical equipment operators and tenders make?
The average is $60,710 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $58,040 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $29.19, and the median is $27.90 an hour.
Which state pays chemical equipment operators and tenders the most?
Wyoming, with an average of $84,480 a year. The best-paying metro area is Baton Rouge, LA at $89,350.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $37,440 a year, and the top 10% earn over $92,250.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-9011. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.