Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
SOC 51-8093 · 2024-2034
Operate or control petroleum refining or processing units. May specialize in controlling manifold and pumping systems, gauging or testing oil in storage tanks, or regulating the flow of oil into pipelines.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
Shrinking -11.4%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $105,606per year
- Projected openings
- 2,680
- Projected change
- -11.4%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Complex Problem Solving
- Speaking
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $118,996 | 720 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $110,364 | 100 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $110,057 | 1,460 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $96,924 | 210 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $62,328 | 130 |
| Hanford-Corcoran MSA (Kings County) | Not reported | 30 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $74,594
- A quarter earn under
- $99,019
- Half earn under
- $105,606
- Three quarters earn under
- $121,920
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $131,780
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Plant Operators | $107,611 | 1,900 | -15.4% |
| Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers | $58,922 | 1,480 | 0% |
| Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators | $92,718 | 7,340 | +6.6% |
Programs that train for this job — 1
Environmental Construction Technician
Chabot-Las Positas Community College District · Pleasanton · $3,057