Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $87K, rent takes 29.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,601/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers typically earn — is $81K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,856/month.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $87K locally vs. $97K nationally, a 10% difference.

Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area pays $87K median vs. the U.S. average of $97K — that’s -10%.

The median is $86,890 a year, that works out to about $42 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $80,930, and experienced petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers can clear $97,400. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,496/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,601/month, which eats 29.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers salary is worth about $86,890 in national-average purchasing power.

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.