Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
51-8093 Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
Operate or control petroleum refining or processing units. May specialize in controlling manifold and pumping systems, gauging or testing oil in storage tanks, or regulating the flow of oil into pipelines.
National estimates for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
Industry profile for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
Geographic profile for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
National estimates for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 40,480 |
4.2 % |
$ 37.31 |
$ 77,610 |
1.1 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 23.76 |
$ 29.85 |
$ 37.90 |
$ 45.59 |
$ 50.23 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 49,420 |
$ 62,090 |
$ 78,840 |
$ 94,830 |
$ 104,470 |
Industry profile for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing |
20,360 |
18.71 |
$ 39.12 |
$ 81,380 |
| Oil and Gas Extraction |
4,280 |
3.44 |
$ 37.18 |
$ 77,330 |
| Other Pipeline Transportation |
2,730 |
33.49 |
$ 35.24 |
$ 73,300 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil |
2,380 |
19.73 |
$ 38.17 |
$ 79,400 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
2,160 |
6.98 |
$ 37.03 |
$ 77,030 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Other Pipeline Transportation |
2,730 |
33.49 |
$ 35.24 |
$ 73,300 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil |
2,380 |
19.73 |
$ 38.17 |
$ 79,400 |
| Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing |
20,360 |
18.71 |
$ 39.12 |
$ 81,380 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
2,160 |
6.98 |
$ 37.03 |
$ 77,030 |
| Oil and Gas Extraction |
4,280 |
3.44 |
$ 37.18 |
$ 77,330 |
Top paying industries for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
1,080 |
0.04 |
$ 44.94 |
$ 93,480 |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) |
870 |
0.24 |
$ 41.38 |
$ 86,060 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
330 |
0.02 |
$ 40.54 |
$ 84,330 |
| Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing |
20,360 |
18.71 |
$ 39.12 |
$ 81,380 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
220 |
0.21 |
$ 38.50 |
$ 80,090 |
Geographic profile for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Texas |
10,940 |
0.90 |
3.11 |
$ 39.37 |
$ 81,890 |
| Louisiana |
6,540 |
3.63 |
12.47 |
$ 35.94 |
$ 74,760 |
| California |
4,490 |
0.27 |
0.94 |
$ 42.79 |
$ 89,010 |
| Oklahoma |
2,070 |
1.32 |
4.55 |
$ 36.20 |
$ 75,300 |
| Pennsylvania |
1,320 |
0.24 |
0.82 |
$ 31.98 |
$ 66,510 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Louisiana |
6,540 |
3.63 |
12.47 |
$ 35.94 |
$ 74,760 |
| Wyoming |
780 |
2.97 |
10.20 |
$ 38.34 |
$ 79,740 |
| Alaska |
610 |
2.05 |
7.05 |
$ 39.97 |
$ 83,140 |
| Oklahoma |
2,070 |
1.32 |
4.55 |
$ 36.20 |
$ 75,300 |
| Montana |
520 |
1.14 |
3.92 |
$ 43.25 |
$ 89,950 |
Top paying states for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Montana |
520 |
1.14 |
3.92 |
$ 43.25 |
$ 89,950 |
| New Jersey |
500 |
0.13 |
0.46 |
$ 42.82 |
$ 89,070 |
| California |
4,490 |
0.27 |
0.94 |
$ 42.79 |
$ 89,010 |
| New Mexico |
500 |
0.64 |
2.20 |
$ 42.01 |
$ 87,380 |
| Colorado |
590 |
0.23 |
0.78 |
$ 40.88 |
$ 85,030 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
4,890 |
1.65 |
5.66 |
$ 39.71 |
$ 82,600 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
2,250 |
0.96 |
3.31 |
$ 44.62 |
$ 92,800 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA |
2,080 |
4.03 |
13.86 |
$ 32.28 |
$ 67,150 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX |
1,660 |
10.87 |
37.37 |
$ 44.12 |
$ 91,780 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
1,250 |
0.22 |
0.74 |
$ 42.73 |
$ 88,870 |
| Baton Rouge, LA |
1,170 |
3.15 |
10.82 |
$ 41.77 |
$ 86,880 |
| Corpus Christi, TX |
930 |
5.14 |
17.67 |
$ 38.43 |
$ 79,940 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
860 |
0.32 |
1.10 |
$ 38.91 |
$ 80,930 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
760 |
0.21 |
0.73 |
$ 37.46 |
$ 77,910 |
| Tulsa, OK |
580 |
1.36 |
4.67 |
$ 38.55 |
$ 80,180 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX |
1,660 |
10.87 |
37.37 |
$ 44.12 |
$ 91,780 |
| Corpus Christi, TX |
930 |
5.14 |
17.67 |
$ 38.43 |
$ 79,940 |
| Billings, MT |
430 |
5.14 |
17.67 |
$ 45.74 |
$ 95,130 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA |
2,080 |
4.03 |
13.86 |
$ 32.28 |
$ 67,150 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH |
130 |
3.80 |
13.06 |
$ 33.70 |
$ 70,100 |
| Baton Rouge, LA |
1,170 |
3.15 |
10.82 |
$ 41.77 |
$ 86,880 |
| Midland, TX |
210 |
2.08 |
7.15 |
$ 38.03 |
$ 79,110 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA |
290 |
1.74 |
5.97 |
$ 40.38 |
$ 83,980 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
4,890 |
1.65 |
5.66 |
$ 39.71 |
$ 82,600 |
| Duluth, MN-WI |
190 |
1.60 |
5.48 |
$ 28.93 |
$ 60,180 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA |
70 |
0.39 |
1.34 |
$ 46.40 |
$ 96,510 |
| Billings, MT |
430 |
5.14 |
17.67 |
$ 45.74 |
$ 95,130 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
2,250 |
0.96 |
3.31 |
$ 44.62 |
$ 92,800 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
360 |
0.25 |
0.85 |
$ 44.31 |
$ 92,160 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX |
1,660 |
10.87 |
37.37 |
$ 44.12 |
$ 91,780 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
1,250 |
0.22 |
0.74 |
$ 42.73 |
$ 88,870 |
| Baton Rouge, LA |
1,170 |
3.15 |
10.82 |
$ 41.77 |
$ 86,880 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA |
290 |
1.74 |
5.97 |
$ 40.38 |
$ 83,980 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
440 |
0.05 |
0.17 |
$ 40.22 |
$ 83,660 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 39.73 |
$ 82,630 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers:
About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021
United States Department of Labor
