Gas Plant Operators Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for gas plant operators in the U.S. is $87,820 ($42.22 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $87,820
- Mean annual wage
- $88,710
- Median hourly wage
- $42.22
- Employment
- 18,030
18,030 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $61,350 | $29.50 |
| 25th percentile | $76,870 | $36.96 |
| Median (50th) | $87,820 | $42.22 |
| 75th percentile | $100,870 | $48.49 |
| 90th percentile | $115,520 | $55.54 |
Highest-paying states for gas plant operators
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| California | $130,220 | 800 |
| New Jersey | $110,900 | 190 |
| Oregon | $109,760 | 70 |
| Connecticut | $109,060 | — |
| Louisiana | $108,350 | 800 |
| Arizona | $104,600 | 140 |
| Massachusetts | $103,830 | 340 |
| Maryland | $102,950 | 180 |
| South Dakota | $101,450 | 90 |
| Arkansas | $100,870 | 400 |
Lowest-paying states
- Kentucky: $63,070 median annual wage
- Tennessee: $66,560 median annual wage
- Florida: $67,170 median annual wage
- South Carolina: $67,580 median annual wage
- Alabama: $77,120 median annual wage
About this occupation
Distribute or process gas for utility companies and others by controlling compressors to maintain specified pressures on main pipelines.
Typical tasks
- Read logsheets to determine product demand and disposition, or to detect malfunctions.
- Determine causes of abnormal pressure variances, and make corrective recommendations, such as installation of pipes to relieve overloading.
- Test gas, chemicals, and air during processing to assess factors such as purity and moisture content, and to detect quality problems or gas or chemical leaks.
- Clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using hand tools, or request that repair and maintenance work be performed.
- Operate construction equipment to install and maintain gas distribution systems.
- Change charts in recording meters.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 6.1% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 38.3% |
| Some college, no degree | 26.5% |
| Associate's degree | 15.9% |
| Bachelor's degree | 11.5% |
| Master's degree | 1.5% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.2% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.