Gas plant operators
SOC Code: 51-8092
Gas plant operators carries a 36% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $83,400 and -8.8% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 16,200 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 36% AI exposure, Gas plant operators sits 1 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 58% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
43/100
Gas plant operators, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage B+ $83,400
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -8.8%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) D 36% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Gas plant operators in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry on a declining BLS line
Typical entry is HS / some college (333/832) while growth is Declining (111/832). This is the crowded high-risk corner of the map - automation and headcount pressure compound without a degree moat.
Where Gas plant operators sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Gas plant operators sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
36% Around the middle lower than 42% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Gas plant operators vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Gas plant operators is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Gas plant operators's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 51-8092) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Gas plant operators be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Gas plant operators. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Monitor equipment functioning, observe temperature, level, and flow gauges, and perform regular unit checks to ensure that all equipment is operating as it should.
- 2. Distribute or process gas for utility companies or industrial plants, using panel boards, control boards, and semi-automatic equipment.
- 3. Control operation of compressors, scrubbers, evaporators, and refrigeration equipment to liquefy, compress, or regasify natural gas.
- 4. Control equipment to regulate flow and pressure of gas to feedlines of boilers, furnaces, and related steam-generating or heating equipment.
- 5. Record, review, and compile operations records, test results, and gauge readings such as temperatures, pressures, concentrations, and flows.
- 6. Determine causes of abnormal pressure variances, and make corrective recommendations, such as installation of pipes to relieve overloading.
- 7. Adjust temperature, pressure, vacuum, level, flow rate, or transfer of gas to maintain processes at required levels or to correct problems.
- 8. Collaborate with other operators to solve unit problems.
- 9. Monitor transportation and storage of flammable and other potentially dangerous products to ensure that safety guidelines are followed.
- 10. Start and shut down plant equipment.
Key Skills Required
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Quality Control Analysis
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
Knowledge Areas
- Public Safety and Security
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Mathematics
- Engineering and Technology
- Production and Processing
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administrative
- Education and Training
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Gas plant operators?
Gas plant operators has an AI exposure score of 36%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Gas plant operators?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Gas plant operators is projected to decline by 8.8% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 16,200 workers.
What skills are needed for Gas plant operators?
Key skills for Gas plant operators include Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Gas plant operators earn?
The median annual wage for Gas plant operators is $83,400, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Gas plant operators?
The typical entry-level education for Gas plant operators is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Long-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Gas plant operators?
Gas plant operators roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Gas plant operators: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (36% here).
- Agricultural technicians · AI exposure 36%
- Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers · AI exposure 36%
- Bioengineers and biomedical engineers · AI exposure 36%
- Cardiologists · AI exposure 36%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-8.8% here).
- Helpers--production workers · growth -8.9%
- Procurement clerks · growth -8.7%
- Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders · growth -9.0%
- Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders · growth -9.0%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 81 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Gas plant operators' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Gas plant operators side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).