Chemical Plant and System Operators Salary
Chemical Plant and System Operators in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX make a median of $106,020 a year, or about $50.97 an hour. The range runs from $60K at the entry level to $125K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $107,493 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,573/month, or 22.2% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $106K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). 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 plant and system operators
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands sits well above the national pay line for chemical plant and system operators, local pay runs about 36% higher than the U.S. median of $78K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,573/month, 22.8% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Combined with manageable housing costs, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands offers a genuinely strong financial position for chemical plant and system operatorss at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for chemical plant and system operators in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | $117K | $130K |
| Baton Rouge | $104K | $115K |
| Lake Charles | $102K | $119K |
| New Orleans-Metairie | $92K | $100K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level chemical plant and system operators (10th percentile) start around $60K. Mid-career wages sit at $106K. Top earners bring in $125K or more, a $65K spread from bottom to top.
Chemical Plant and System Operators pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Chemical Plant and System Operators salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $129K | +65% | 60 |
| Wyoming | $108K | +38% | 300 |
| Texas | $103K | +32% | 2,360 |
| Louisiana | $100K | +28% | 3,400 |
| Kentucky | $98K | +25% | 40 |
| Maryland | $95K | +22% | 290 |
| Alabama | $92K | +17% | 230 |
| Arkansas | $92K | +17% | 240 |
| California | $88K | +12% | 780 |
| Oregon | $87K | +12% | 120 |
| New Jersey | $87K | +11% | 330 |
| Massachusetts | $84K | +7% | 570 |
| Idaho | $83K | +6% | 60 |
| West Virginia | $82K | +5% | 380 |
| New Mexico | $73K | -7% | N/A |
| Michigan | $72K | -7% | 40 |
| Mississippi | $71K | -9% | 320 |
| Pennsylvania | $70K | -10% | 770 |
| South Carolina | $69K | -12% | 610 |
| Ohio | $68K | -13% | 240 |
| Minnesota | $67K | -15% | 150 |
| Illinois | $66K | -16% | 160 |
| Utah | $63K | -19% | 320 |
| Virginia | $63K | -19% | 760 |
| New York | $63K | -19% | 120 |
| North Carolina | $63K | -19% | 660 |
| Colorado | $63K | -20% | 400 |
| Wisconsin | $63K | -20% | 90 |
| Iowa | $60K | -23% | 490 |
| Washington | $60K | -23% | 350 |
| South Dakota | $60K | -23% | 180 |
| Missouri | $55K | -29% | 450 |
| Georgia | $49K | -37% | 220 |
| Indiana | $49K | -37% | 320 |
| Tennessee | $46K | -41% | 350 |
Showing 1–10 of 35 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track chemical plant and system operators salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a chemical plant and system operator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Yes — at the median salary of $106K, rent takes 22.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for chemical plant and system operators in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new chemical plant and system operators typically earn — is $60K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,595/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 44% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is chemical plant and system operator a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Local pay is 36% above the national median — $106K here vs. $78K nationally.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for chemical plant and system operators?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $106K median vs. the U.S. average of $78K — that’s +36%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $107K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do chemical plant and system operators make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $106,020 a year, that works out to about $51 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $59,920, and experienced chemical plant and system operators can clear $124,930. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $106K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,914/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 22.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a chemical plant and system operators salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (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 plant and system operators salary is worth about $107,493 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do chemical plant and system operators 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.