Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders Salary
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders in St. Louis, MO-IL make a median of $53,500 a year, or about $25.72 an hour. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $78K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $56,262 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,218/month, about 34.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $54K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About chemical equipment operators and tenders
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What this looks like in St. Louis
Chemical equipment operators and tenders pay in St. Louis tracks closely to the national median, $54K locally vs. $58K nationwide, a 8% difference. Rent runs $1,218/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 33.8% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for chemical equipment operators and tenders in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $58K | $62K |
| St. Joseph | $50K | $58K |
| Joplin | $68K | $79K |
| Springfield | $49K | $56K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level chemical equipment operators and tenders (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $54K. Top earners bring in $78K or more, a $40K spread from bottom to top.
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | $102K | +75% | 290 |
| Alabama | $80K | +38% | 3,280 |
| Montana | $80K | +37% | 40 |
| Louisiana | $79K | +35% | 6,430 |
| Idaho | $77K | +33% | 550 |
| Rhode Island | $70K | +20% | 430 |
| Washington | $67K | +16% | 1,720 |
| West Virginia | $66K | +14% | 1,190 |
| Arkansas | $64K | +11% | 1,160 |
| Mississippi | $64K | +11% | 990 |
| Delaware | $63K | +9% | 1,160 |
| Illinois | $62K | +7% | 5,580 |
| Tennessee | $61K | +5% | 3,860 |
| New Mexico | $61K | +5% | 170 |
| Ohio | $61K | +4% | 7,830 |
| Texas | $60K | +4% | 20,880 |
| Virginia | $60K | +3% | 2,040 |
| Maryland | $60K | +3% | 1,220 |
| Nebraska | $60K | +3% | 1,020 |
| Nevada | $59K | +1% | 210 |
| Connecticut | $58K | +1% | 860 |
| California | $58K | +0% | 5,670 |
| Iowa | $58K | -1% | 2,010 |
| Kentucky | $58K | -1% | 3,590 |
| Maine | $57K | -1% | 250 |
| Massachusetts | $57K | -2% | 2,860 |
| Indiana | $57K | -2% | 6,240 |
| Pennsylvania | $57K | -2% | 6,230 |
| Oregon | $57K | -3% | 950 |
| New Jersey | $57K | -3% | 8,560 |
| South Carolina | $56K | -3% | 4,040 |
| Kansas | $55K | -5% | 1,920 |
| Minnesota | $53K | -8% | 1,170 |
| Wisconsin | $51K | -12% | 2,730 |
| Missouri | $51K | -13% | 2,790 |
| Colorado | $50K | -13% | 910 |
| Oklahoma | $50K | -14% | 790 |
| Michigan | $50K | -14% | 5,210 |
| Georgia | $50K | -14% | 4,330 |
| North Carolina | $50K | -14% | 5,260 |
| New York | $50K | -14% | 4,270 |
| New Hampshire | $49K | -15% | 350 |
| South Dakota | $49K | -16% | 230 |
| Hawaii | $48K | -18% | 30 |
| Arizona | $46K | -21% | 1,330 |
| Florida | $44K | -24% | 4,270 |
| Utah | $39K | -33% | 2,610 |
Showing 1–10 of 47 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track chemical equipment operators and tenders salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a chemical equipment operators and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $54K, rent takes 33.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for chemical equipment operators and tenders in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new chemical equipment operators and tenders typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,277/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 53% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is chemical equipment operators and tender a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $54K locally vs. $58K nationally, a 8% difference.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for chemical equipment operators and tenders?
St. Louis pays $54K median vs. the U.S. average of $58K — that’s -8%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $56K — below the national median.
How much do chemical equipment operators and tenders make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $53,500 a year, that works out to about $26 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,950, and experienced chemical equipment operators and tenders can clear $77,700. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $54K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,606/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 33.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a chemical equipment operators and tenders salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median chemical equipment operators and tenders salary is worth about $56,262 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do chemical equipment operators and tenders get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.