Chemical Plant and System Operators Salary
Chemical Plant and System Operators in St. Louis, MO-IL make a median of $52,330 a year, or about $25.16 an hour. The range runs from $48K at the entry level to $65K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $55,032 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,218/month, about 35.4% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $52K 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 plant and system operators
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What this looks like in St. Louis
Pay for chemical plant and system operators in St. Louis runs about 33% below the U.S. median of $78K. Rent runs $1,218/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 34.5% 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. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for chemical plant and system operators in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $66K | $63K |
| Memphis | $57K | $62K |
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 plant and system operators (10th percentile) start around $48K. Mid-career wages sit at $52K. Top earners bring in $65K or more, a $16K 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 St. Louis numbers change.
Related careers in Production & Manufacturing
Frequently asked questions
Can a chemical plant and system operator afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $52K, rent takes 34.5% 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 plant and system operators in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new chemical plant and system operators typically earn — is $48K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,903/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 42% 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 St. Louis?
Local pay runs 33% below the national median — $52K here vs. $78K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for chemical plant and system operators?
St. Louis pays $52K median vs. the U.S. average of $78K — that’s -33%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $55K — below the national median.
How much do chemical plant and system operators make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $52,330 a year, that works out to about $25 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $48,390, and experienced chemical plant and system operators can clear $64,570. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $52K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,532/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 34.5% 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 plant and system operators 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 plant and system operators salary is worth about $55,032 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.