Refinery operator vs crude unit operator

The differences between refinery operators and crude unit operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a refinery operator and a crude unit operator. Additionally, a crude unit operator has an average salary of $52,747, which is higher than the $47,058 average annual salary of a refinery operator.

The top three skills for a refinery operator include safety procedures, ladders and product quality. The most important skills for a crude unit operator are distillation, , and .

Refinery operator vs crude unit operator overview

	Refinery Operator	Crude Unit Operator
Yearly salary	$47,058	$52,747
Hourly rate	$22.62	$25.36
Growth rate	7%	-15%
Number of jobs	34,423	41,804
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

Refinery operator vs crude unit operator salary

Refinery operators and crude unit operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Refinery Operator	Crude Unit Operator
Average salary	$47,058	$52,747
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $73,000	Between $32,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between refinery operator and crude unit operator education

There are a few differences between a refinery operator and a crude unit operator in terms of educational background:

	Refinery Operator	Crude Unit Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Biology
Most common college	-	-

Refinery operator vs crude unit operator demographics

Here are the differences between refinery operators' and crude unit operators' demographics:

	Refinery Operator	Crude Unit Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 93.6% Female, 6.4%	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 4.3% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between refinery operator and crude unit operator duties and responsibilities

Refinery operator example responsibilities.

Manage multiple large volume fermentation tanks simultaneously.
Work include LOTO procedures and gathering oil samples for the onsite lab.
Have knowledge of cryo plant production, amine, and NGL production.
Operate gas/oil fire heat exchangers.
Repair equipment with jsa, loto usuing procedures.
Conduct monthly safety surveys to ensure the unit maintain OSHA compliance.

Crude unit operator example responsibilities.

Perform DCS operator activities and seek for opportunities to suggest process improvements.
Monitor temperatures, pressures, levels, gauges, controllers, transmitters, and flows for unit operation

Refinery operator vs crude unit operator skills

Common refinery operator skills

Safety Procedures, 12%
Ladders, 7%
Product Quality, 7%
Control Room, 6%
Rail Cars, 6%
OSHA, 6%

Common crude unit operator skills

Distillation, 100%

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Refinery Operator
Refinery Operator vs Crude Unit Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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