Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $97K, rent takes 19.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,215/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 $65K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,923/month. At HUD’s $1,215/month FMR, rent would take 31% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $97K locally vs. $97K nationally, a 0% difference.

Tennessee pays $97K median vs. the U.S. average of $97K — that’s +0%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.78), the purchasing-power equivalent is $108K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $96,730 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $65,380, and experienced petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers can clear $105,050. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,370/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,215/month, which eats 19.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Tennessee has a Regional Price Parity of 89.78 (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 petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers salary is worth about $107,741 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.