Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
Also called: Chemical Operator (Chemical Tech), Chlorination Operator, Multiskill Operator, Outside OperatorOperate or tend equipment to control chemical changes or reactions in the processing of industrial or consumer products. Equipment used includes devulcanizers, steam-jacketed kettles, and reactor vessels.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 23 rated tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 3.6% 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, 3.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Chemical processing machine setters, operators, and tenders”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 94% 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 | $80,330 | $48,580 to $84,740 | 3,280 |
| Arizona | $45,790 | $39,450 to $58,410 | 1,330 |
| Arkansas | $64,440 | $47,860 to $82,280 | 1,160 |
| California | $58,300 | $46,990 to $72,690 | 5,670 |
| Colorado | $50,370 | $46,110 to $58,600 | 910 |
| Connecticut | $58,490 | $45,140 to $66,680 | 860 |
| Delaware | $63,200 | $59,390 to $74,580 | 1,160 |
| Florida | $44,360 | $36,550 to $59,020 | 4,270 |
| Georgia | $49,660 | $41,960 to $60,250 | 4,330 |
| Hawaii | $47,840 | $47,490 to $55,950 | 30 |
| Idaho | $77,100 | $57,740 to $77,110 | 550 |
| Illinois | $61,940 | $47,000 to $80,550 | 5,580 |
| Indiana | $56,800 | $44,830 to $63,490 | 6,240 |
| Iowa | $57,550 | $49,170 to $67,590 | 2,010 |
| Kansas | $54,890 | $46,820 to $64,900 | 1,920 |
| Kentucky | $57,530 | $45,870 to $79,670 | 3,590 |
| Louisiana | $78,580 | $59,160 to $101,800 | 6,430 |
| Maine | $57,240 | $47,750 to $61,980 | 250 |
| Maryland | $59,850 | $47,640 to $72,670 | 1,220 |
| Massachusetts | $56,920 | $46,470 to $64,160 | 2,860 |
| Michigan | $50,060 | $45,120 to $64,020 | 5,210 |
| Minnesota | $53,340 | $45,820 to $64,150 | 1,170 |
| Mississippi | $64,360 | $37,450 to $80,460 | 990 |
| Missouri | $50,640 | $44,530 to $60,720 | 2,790 |
| Montana | $79,570 | $53,320 to $88,940 | 40 |
| Nebraska | $59,750 | $45,430 to $63,840 | 1,020 |
| Nevada | $58,520 | $47,230 to $70,130 | 210 |
| New Hampshire | $49,440 | $49,440 to $58,880 | 350 |
| New Jersey | $56,500 | $46,830 to $68,050 | 8,560 |
| New Mexico | $60,910 | $42,740 to $80,890 | 170 |
| New York | $49,640 | $45,260 to $65,190 | 4,270 |
| North Carolina | $49,650 | $43,820 to $59,990 | 5,260 |
| Ohio | $60,550 | $49,410 to $74,340 | 7,830 |
| Oklahoma | $50,160 | $43,580 to $68,910 | 790 |
| Oregon | $56,510 | $47,660 to $67,010 | 950 |
| Pennsylvania | $56,630 | $45,780 to $69,790 | 6,230 |
| Puerto Rico | $36,450 | $27,590 to $45,470 | 2,420 |
| Rhode Island | $69,630 | $45,840 to $100,240 | 430 |
| South Carolina | $56,240 | $45,880 to $63,130 | 4,040 |
| South Dakota | $48,830 | $48,140 to $57,590 | 230 |
| Tennessee | $60,960 | $44,910 to $74,310 | 3,860 |
| Texas | $60,150 | $42,030 to $98,860 | 20,880 |
| Utah | $39,020 | $35,530 to $49,930 | 2,610 |
| Virginia | $59,970 | $49,250 to $65,030 | 2,040 |
| Washington | $67,300 | $52,190 to $78,470 | 1,720 |
| West Virginia | $66,060 | $56,990 to $92,620 | 1,190 |
| Wisconsin | $50,870 | $47,110 to $60,590 | 2,730 |
| Wyoming | $101,590 | $69,260 to $101,590 | 290 |
Nationally: $58,040. 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 2 of its 23 rated tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Monitor gauges, recording instruments, flowmeters, or products to ensure that specified conditions are maintained. | Not published |
| Not much | Draw samples of products at specified stages so that analyses can be performed. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure, weigh, and mix chemical ingredients, according to specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Open valves or start pumps, agitators, reactors, blowers, or automatic feed of materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Patrol work areas to detect leaks or equipment malfunctions or to monitor operating conditions. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions, shutting equipment down, if necessary. | Not published |
See all 24 tasks
| Not much | Adjust controls to regulate temperature, pressure, feed, or flow of liquids or gases and times of prescribed reactions, according to knowledge of equipment and processes. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions. | Not published |
| Not much | Control or operate equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products. | Not published |
| Not much | Notify maintenance engineers of equipment malfunctions. | Not published |
| Not much | Test product samples for specific gravity, chemical characteristics, pH levels, concentrations, or viscosities, or send them to laboratories for testing. | Not published |
| Not much | Drain equipment, and pump water or other solutions through to flush and clean tanks or equipment. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times, or test results. | Not published |
| Not rated | Load products into tanks for shipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Add treating or neutralizing agents to products, and pump products through filters or centrifuges to remove impurities or to precipitate products. | Not published |
| Not much | Dump or scoop prescribed solid, granular, or powdered materials into equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Read plant specifications to determine products, ingredients, or prescribed modifications of plant procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe and compare colors and consistencies of products to instrument readings and to laboratory and standard test results. | Not published |
| AI alone | Estimate materials required for production and manufacturing of products. | Not published |
| Not much | Flush or clean equipment, using steam hoses or mechanical reamers. | Not published |
| Not much | Implement appropriate industrial emergency response procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Make minor repairs, lubricate, and maintain equipment, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct activities of workers assisting in control or verification of processes or in unloading of materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Inventory supplies received and consumed. | 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. 0 of the 24 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 24 tasks fall under 21 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.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions |
Show all 21 activities
| Maintain safety or security | |||
| Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products | |||
| Determine resource needs of projects or operations | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Test characteristics of materials or products | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Repair tools or equipment | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Collect samples of products or materials | |||
| Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products | |||
| Operate pumping systems or equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Data or a spreadsheet43%
- An analysis or summary9%
- A document or report9%
- An email or message9%
- Math or a calculation9%
How they worked with Claude
74% 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 equipment operators and tenders 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 next
of 6,398 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 9%
- 2 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 4%
- 4 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers High +1.8% 4%
- 5 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General Low +4.2% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 6,551 moves in
- 1 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 3 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 6%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
- 5 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Low +1.5% 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)
- 7% less than high school
- 26% high school
- 22% some college
- 13% associate's
- 24% bachelor's
- 5% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Chemical processing machine setters, operators, and tenders” · 733 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Chemical processing machine setters, operators, and tenders”
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 (CHEMICAL OPERATOR III). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders” 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
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