Sewage plant operator vs process plant operator

The differences between sewage plant operators and process plant operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a sewage plant operator, becoming a process plant operator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a sewage plant operator has an average salary of $45,459, which is higher than the $41,902 average annual salary of a process plant operator.

The top three skills for a sewage plant operator include treatment plant, water treatment and SCADA. The most important skills for a process plant operator are plant operations, plant process, and minor maintenance.

Sewage plant operator vs process plant operator overview

	Sewage Plant Operator	Process Plant Operator
Yearly salary	$45,459	$41,902
Hourly rate	$21.86	$20.15
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	35,505	61,085
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	12	2

Sewage plant operator vs process plant operator salary

Sewage plant operators and process plant operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sewage Plant Operator	Process Plant Operator
Average salary	$45,459	$41,902
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $63,000	Between $28,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between sewage plant operator and process plant operator education

There are a few differences between a sewage plant operator and a process plant operator in terms of educational background:

	Sewage Plant Operator	Process Plant Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	-

Sewage plant operator vs process plant operator demographics

Here are the differences between sewage plant operators' and process plant operators' demographics:

	Sewage Plant Operator	Process Plant Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2%	Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 77.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 4.3% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	5%	11%

Differences between sewage plant operator and process plant operator duties and responsibilities

Sewage plant operator example responsibilities.

Maintain buildings HVAC / lighting automation systems and make adjustments as needed for tenant's comfort and to manage energy consumption.
Prepare asphalt mixtures per customer requirements, load and unload tankers and monitor tanks and assist with paperwork
Project s progress are communicated to all levels of the organization and Amgen sites stakeholders.

Process plant operator example responsibilities.

Manage distillation process to determine product specification compliance, and prepare unit for shutdown or turnaround process.
Move to the assembly department building electrical panels, installing electrical panels, installing various electrical devices on new centrifuges.
Batch SCC, Shotcrete and other loads to client specifications.

Sewage plant operator vs process plant operator skills

Common sewage plant operator skills

Treatment Plant, 35%
Water Treatment, 30%
SCADA, 14%
Federal Agencies, 10%
Plant Equipment, 8%
Pump Stations, 2%

Common process plant operator skills

Plant Operations, 30%
Plant Process, 10%
Minor Maintenance, 9%
Plant Equipment, 7%
OSHA, 7%
Continuous Operation, 6%

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Sewage Plant Operator
Sewage Plant Operator vs Process Plant Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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