Wet plant operator vs process plant operator

The differences between wet plant operators and process 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 wet plant operator, becoming a process plant operator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a wet plant operator has an average salary of $45,759, which is higher than the $41,902 average annual salary of a process plant operator.

The top three skills for a wet plant operator include control room, loaders and wet plant. The most important skills for a process plant operator are plant operations, plant process, and minor maintenance.

Wet plant operator vs process plant operator overview

	Wet Plant Operator	Process Plant Operator
Yearly salary	$45,759	$41,902
Hourly rate	$22.00	$20.15
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	34,985	61,085
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Diploma, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	2

Wet plant operator vs process plant operator salary

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

	Wet Plant Operator	Process Plant Operator
Average salary	$45,759	$41,902
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $63,000	Between $28,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between wet plant operator and process plant operator education

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

	Wet Plant Operator	Process Plant Operator
Most common degree	Diploma, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	-

Wet plant operator vs process plant operator demographics

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

	Wet Plant Operator	Process Plant Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3%	Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3%
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, 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	11%	11%

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

Wet plant operator example responsibilities.

Manage environmental team planning and maintenance response services.
Prepare asphalt mixtures per customer requirements, load and unload tankers and monitor tanks and assist with paperwork
Operate tools, including hoists, saws and drills.

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.

Wet plant operator vs process plant operator skills

Common wet plant operator skills

Control Room, 29%
Loaders, 25%
Wet Plant, 23%
MSHA, 23%

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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Wet Plant Operator
Wet Plant Operator vs Process Plant Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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