SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-9011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders — Austin

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX · 10 metro areas compared

$41,820 /year
$20.11per hour
840jobs in area
−27.9%vs US median

Median pay in Austin, TX is $41,820 a year, 27.9% under the national median of $58,040 for this occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $58,040MEDIAN$41,82075TH$45,83090TH$76,410

How pay has moved

$50,535$38,505201920202022202320242025$41,820
$40,610 in 2019 to $41,820 in 2025, +3% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+3.3%
Openings per year
14,400
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay in Austin, TX is $41,820 a year, 27.9% under the national median of $58,040 for this occupation. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $41,820 and $45,830. The lowest tenth earn under $37,340, while the highest tenth earn more than $76,410.

The area has 840 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.7 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Beaumont records the highest median at $96,790. Of the 598 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 500th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$37,340−35.7%
25th$41,820−27.9%
Median (50th)$41,820−27.9%
75th$45,830−21.0%
90th$76,410+31.7%
Mean$48,790−15.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Texas

Median annual wage for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Beaumont$96,7901,540
2Corpus Christi$91,560450
3Houston$79,4309,390
4Texarkana$59,490—
5Killeen$56,04080
6Victoria$55,08080
7Midland$47,58080
8Lubbock$47,320100
9Dallas$47,2303,640
10Tyler$44,40060

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Austin sit close to the national average, so $41,820 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.

Published median

$41,820as reported by BLS

Local price level

98.1US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$42,630US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $41,820 a year, 27.9% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $37,340 to $76,410 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 840 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Beaumont, at $96,790.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders in Austin, TX?

The median annual wage is $41,820, or $20.11 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $58,040, so pay in Austin, TX is 27.9% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Austin, TX earns more than $76,410 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $37,340 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Beaumont, at $96,790 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 840 jobs in this occupation in Austin, TX. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.