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The differences between chemical plant operations technicians and plant operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a chemical plant operations technician, becoming a plant operator takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a plant operator has an average salary of $42,697, which is higher than the $41,477 average annual salary of a chemical plant operations technician.
The top three skills for a chemical plant operations technician include EPA, safety procedures and control measures. The most important skills for a plant operator are plant equipment, plant operations, and preventative maintenance.
| Chemical Plant Operations Technician | Plant Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $41,477 | $42,697 |
| Hourly rate | $19.94 | $20.53 |
| Growth rate | 4% | -7% |
| Number of jobs | 67,501 | 43,388 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 36% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
Chemical plant operations technicians and plant operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chemical Plant Operations Technician | Plant Operator | |
| Average salary | $41,477 | $42,697 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $60,000 | Between $32,000 And $56,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Idaho |
| Best paying company | - | NW Natural |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a chemical plant operations technician and a plant operator in terms of educational background:
| Chemical Plant Operations Technician | Plant Operator | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 36% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering Technology | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
Here are the differences between chemical plant operations technicians' and plant operators' demographics:
| Chemical Plant Operations Technician | Plant Operator | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 4.1% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 5% |