Chemical Plant and System Operators
Also called: Chemical Operator, Plant Technician (Plant Tech), Process Operator, Process Technician (Process Tech)Control or operate entire chemical processes or system of machines.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 4 of its 19 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 5.2% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Miscellaneous plant and system operators”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 86% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.8.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $91,610 | $78,080 to $96,210 | 230 |
| Arkansas | $91,610 | $81,610 to $92,180 | 240 |
| California | $87,550 | $81,210 to $103,060 | 780 |
| Colorado | $62,870 | $59,560 to $75,680 | 400 |
| Florida | $128,830 | $76,200 to $134,730 | 60 |
| Georgia | $49,230 | $45,720 to $61,010 | 220 |
| Idaho | $82,980 | $57,360 to $82,990 | 60 |
| Illinois | $65,710 | $60,580 to $74,770 | 160 |
| Indiana | $49,110 | $45,680 to $59,960 | 320 |
| Iowa | $60,440 | $50,630 to $62,540 | 490 |
| Kentucky | $97,550 | $80,530 to $112,920 | 40 |
| Louisiana | $100,060 | $81,690 to $104,570 | 3,400 |
| Maryland | $95,150 | $78,340 to $95,150 | 290 |
| Massachusetts | $83,710 | $82,040 to $92,880 | 570 |
| Michigan | $72,430 | $58,460 to $83,930 | 40 |
| Minnesota | $66,500 | $52,350 to $75,740 | 150 |
| Mississippi | $71,080 | $47,430 to $85,370 | 320 |
| Missouri | $55,470 | $50,400 to $59,410 | 450 |
| New Jersey | $86,820 | $72,570 to $94,920 | 330 |
| New Mexico | $72,610 | $72,610 to $73,730 | not published |
| New York | $62,980 | $55,070 to $84,390 | 120 |
| North Carolina | $62,920 | $51,880 to $66,370 | 660 |
| Ohio | $67,580 | $67,210 to $70,740 | 240 |
| Oregon | $87,110 | $76,420 to $100,800 | 120 |
| Pennsylvania | $70,110 | $64,260 to $80,940 | 770 |
| South Carolina | $68,510 | $59,950 to $74,370 | 610 |
| South Dakota | $59,970 | $52,020 to $61,720 | 180 |
| Tennessee | $45,830 | $43,070 to $55,760 | 350 |
| Texas | $102,750 | $73,850 to $117,430 | 2,360 |
| Utah | $63,460 | $55,150 to $63,460 | 320 |
| Virginia | $63,000 | $48,950 to $77,930 | 760 |
| Washington | $60,120 | $49,670 to $101,400 | 350 |
| West Virginia | $81,710 | $65,280 to $83,760 | 380 |
| Wisconsin | $62,720 | $52,000 to $67,800 | 90 |
| Wyoming | $107,810 | $97,960 to $114,380 | 300 |
Nationally: $78,120. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 4 of its 19 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Monitor recording instruments, flowmeters, panel lights, or other indicators and listen for warning signals to verify conformity of process conditions. | Not published |
| Not much | Move control settings to make necessary adjustments on equipment units affecting speeds of chemical reactions, quality, or yields. | Not published |
| Not much | Draw samples of products and conduct quality control tests to monitor processing and to ensure that standards are met. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record operating data, such as process conditions, test results, or instrument readings. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Confer with technical and supervisory personnel to report or resolve conditions affecting safety, efficiency, or product quality. | Not published |
| Not much | Control or operate chemical processes or systems of machines, using panelboards, control boards, or semi-automatic equipment. | Not published |
See all 19 tasks
| Not much | Start pumps to wash and rinse reactor vessels, to exhaust gases or vapors, to regulate the flow of oil, steam, air, or perfume to towers, or to add products to converter or blending vessels. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn valves to regulate flow of products or byproducts through agitator tanks, storage drums, or neutralizer tanks. | Not published |
| AI + software | Notify maintenance, stationary engineering, or other auxiliary personnel to correct equipment malfunctions or to adjust power, steam, water, or air supplies. | Not published |
| Not much | Patrol work areas to ensure that solutions in tanks or troughs are not in danger of overflowing. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect operating units, such as towers, soap-spray storage tanks, scrubbers, collectors, or driers to ensure that all are functioning and to maintain maximum efficiency. | Not published |
| AI alone | Interpret chemical reactions visible through sight glasses or on television monitors and review laboratory test reports for process adjustments. | Not published |
| Not much | Regulate or shut down equipment during emergency situations, as directed by supervisory personnel. | Not published |
| AI alone | Calculate material requirements or yields according to formulas. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Repair or replace damaged equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise the cleaning of towers, strainers, or spray tips. | Not published |
| Not much | Gauge tank levels, using calibrated rods. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct workers engaged in operating machinery that regulates the flow of materials and products. | Not published |
| Not much | Defrost frozen valves, using steam hoses. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 2 of the 19 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 19 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Test characteristics of materials or products | |||
| Repair tools or equipment | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Coordinate with others to resolve problems | |||
| Determine resource needs of projects or operations |
Show all 13 activities
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Collect samples of products or materials | |||
| Operate pumping systems or equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Math or a calculation36%
- Data or a spreadsheet16%
- A document or report12%
- Advice or a recommendation7%
- An analysis or summary5%
How they worked with Claude
50% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for chemical plant and system operators specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved in from
of 245 moves in
- 1 Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity Moderate +4.1% 11%
- 2 Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians 6%
- 3 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Photographers High -0.7% 5%
- 10 Coaches and Scouts Moderate +6.1% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 5% less than high school
- 44% high school
- 25% some college
- 13% associate's
- 12% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Miscellaneous plant and system operators” · 513 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Miscellaneous plant and system operators”
2 programs: Chemical Technology/Technician and Chemical Process Technology.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (PLANT OPERATOR, FURNACE PRO). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Chemical Plant and System Operators” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/51-8091.00