Gas Plant Operators
What Gas Plant Operators Do
Distribute or process gas for utility companies and others by controlling compressors to maintain specified pressures on main pipelines.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.9/5
- Mechanicalimportance 3.8/5
- English Languageimportance 3.6/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.4/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.2/5
- Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.1/5
- Production and Processingimportance 3.1/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.0/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Telephone Conversations4.9/5
- E-Mail4.6/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.5/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.4/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.4/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers97% skill match
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers96% skill match
- Nuclear Technicians96% skill match
- Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers96% skill match
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand96% skill match
- Power Plant Operators96% skill match
- Logging Equipment Operators96% skill match
- Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Operations Monitoringimportance 4.1/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.8/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.3/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
- Troubleshootingimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- AspenTech HYSYS
- Operating log software
- Quorum PGAS
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Work scheduling software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Cautiousness
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Self-Control
- Stress Tolerance
- Perseverance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalHigh
- InvestigativeLow
- EnterprisingLow
- SocialLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where gas plant operators make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Wheeling, WV-OH11.50× national avg
- 2Charleston, WV8.26× national avg
- 3Midland, TX6.30× national avg
- 4Tulsa, OK5.11× national avg
- 5Fort Smith, AR-OK4.17× national avg
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.