Gas Plant Operators
Distribute or process gas for utility companies and others by controlling compressors to maintain specified pressures on main pipelines.
- O*NET-SOC code
51-8092.00 - Preparation Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$87,820
Employment, U.S.18,030
Median hourly wage$42.22
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $61,350 | $76,870 | $87,820 | $100,870 | $115,520 |
By state (44)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $77,120 | ||
| Alaska | 220 | Not available | 5.81 |
| Arizona | 140 | $104,600 | 0.38 |
| Arkansas | 400 | $100,870 | 2.68 |
| California | 800 | $130,220 | 0.38 |
| Colorado | 570 | $98,080 | 1.70 |
| Connecticut | $109,060 | ||
| Florida | 130 | $67,170 | 0.12 |
| Georgia | 110 | $81,220 | 0.20 |
| Idaho | 50 | $79,280 | 0.49 |
| Illinois | 530 | $97,810 | 0.74 |
| Indiana | 280 | $85,790 | 0.76 |
| Iowa | 480 | $92,970 | 2.65 |
| Kansas | 350 | $80,760 | 2.09 |
| Kentucky | 200 | $63,070 | 0.86 |
| Louisiana | 800 | $108,350 | 3.54 |
| Maine | 30 | $93,990 | 0.46 |
| Maryland | 180 | $102,950 | 0.58 |
| Massachusetts | 340 | $103,830 | 0.82 |
| Michigan | 540 | $100,500 | 1.07 |
| Minnesota | 360 | $100,500 | 1.06 |
| Mississippi | 340 | $81,600 | 2.50 |
| Missouri | 220 | $87,820 | 0.64 |
| Montana | 70 | $83,630 | 1.26 |
| Nebraska | 270 | $87,790 | 2.28 |
| New Jersey | 190 | $110,900 | 0.38 |
| New Mexico | 300 | $97,660 | 3.01 |
| New York | 240 | $98,390 | 0.21 |
| North Carolina | 320 | $81,460 | 0.55 |
| North Dakota | 770 | $96,760 | 15.56 |
| Ohio | 570 | $82,130 | 0.88 |
| Oklahoma | 970 | $78,310 | 4.90 |
| Oregon | 70 | $109,760 | 0.33 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,370 | $80,810 | 1.95 |
| South Carolina | 280 | $67,580 | 1.06 |
| South Dakota | 90 | $101,450 | 1.65 |
| Tennessee | 200 | $66,560 | 0.54 |
| Texas | 2,550 | $79,910 | 1.57 |
| Utah | 160 | $98,300 | 0.81 |
| Virginia | 400 | $86,500 | 0.84 |
| Washington | 120 | $83,650 | 0.29 |
| West Virginia | 420 | $82,600 | 5.22 |
| Wisconsin | 150 | $85,080 | 0.43 |
| Wyoming | 480 | $81,550 | 14.64 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers | 1-2 | 0.971 |
| 2 | Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers | 1-2 | 0.970 |
| 3 | Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators | 1-2 | 0.967 |
| 4 | Biomass Plant Technicians | 1-2 | 0.966 |
| 5 | Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators | 3 | 0.965 |
| 6 | Geothermal Technicians | 1-2 | 0.964 |
| 7 | Biofuels Processing Technicians | 1-2 | 0.964 |
| 8 | Nuclear Technicians | 3 | 0.962 |
| 9 | Hydroelectric Plant Technicians | 3 | 0.961 |
| 10 | Ship Engineers | 3 | 0.961 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Gas Plant Operators, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geothermal Technicians | Installation | 3.12 | 0.964 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Gas Plant Operators, excluding software Gas Plant Operators already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Computerized maintenance management system CMMS | 9 of 20 | 13.8x |
| Distributed control system DCS | 4 of 20 | 18.5x |
| Operational Data Store ODS software | 3 of 20 | 19.8x |
| Programmable logic controller PLC software | 4 of 20 | 8.8x |
| Geographic information system GIS systems | 3 of 20 | 2.3x |
| Structured query language SQL | 4 of 20 | 1.2x |
| Autodesk AutoCAD | 4 of 20 | 1.1x |
| Database software | 3 of 20 | 0.8x |
| Email software | 5 of 20 | 0.8x |
| Microsoft Project | 3 of 20 | 0.7x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 4.12 | 4.38 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.50 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.25 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.38 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Public Safety and Security | 3.94 | 4.42 |
| Mechanical | 3.75 | 4.57 |
| English Language | 3.59 | 3.86 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.40 | 3.94 |
| Mathematics | 3.17 | 3.54 |
| Engineering and Technology | 3.14 | 3.89 |
| Production and Processing | 3.13 | 3.64 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.04 | 3.53 |
| Administrative | 3.01 | 3.46 |
| Education and Training | 2.84 | 3.38 |
| Physics | 2.83 | 3.35 |
| Law and Government | 2.77 | 3.06 |
| Transportation | 2.75 | 3.10 |
| Design | 2.68 | 2.93 |
| Telecommunications | 2.67 | 3.02 |
| Geography | 2.60 | 2.87 |
| Administration and Management | 2.51 | 2.24 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.48 | 2.29 |
| Building and Construction | 2.41 | 2.45 |
| Chemistry | 2.38 | 2.86 |
| Communications and Media | 2.38 | 2.51 |
| Psychology | 2.19 | 2.28 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.06 | 1.66 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.64 | not rated |
| Biology | 1.64 | 1.10 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.56 | 1.20 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.52 | 1.00 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.45 | 0.92 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.37 | not rated |
| Foreign Language | 1.36 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.26 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.25 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.04 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Perceptual Speed | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Near Vision | 3.75 | 3.38 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Auditory Attention | 3.50 | 3.75 |
| Selective Attention | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Far Vision | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Reaction Time | 3.12 | 3.75 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Information Ordering | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Written Expression | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Oral Expression | 3.00 | 3.62 |
| Control Precision | 3.00 | 3.50 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Visualization | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Time Sharing | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Rate Control | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.88 | 2.50 |
| Response Orientation | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Number Facility | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Depth Perception | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Originality | 2.25 | 2.75 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.25 | 2.62 |
| Static Strength | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Memorization | 2.12 | 2.25 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Spatial Orientation | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Stamina | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Peripheral Vision | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Sound Localization | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Night Vision | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.50 | 0.75 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Google Android in demand
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft Outlook in demand
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- SAP software hot
- AspenTech HYSYS
- Operating log software
- Quorum PGAS
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Work scheduling software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston, WV | 100 | 8.26 | $85,790 |
| Tulsa, OK | 270 | 5.11 | $78,550 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1,510 | 3.95 | $85,530 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 440 | 3.44 | $81,600 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 230 | 2.89 | $78,310 |
| Birmingham, AL | 140 | 2.31 | $80,280 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 130 | 2.31 | $91,320 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 100 | 2.24 | $95,260 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 100 | 2.15 | $113,570 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 360 | 1.92 | $98,640 |