DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

Operate steam-, gas-, electric motor-, or internal combustion-engine driven compressors. Transmit, compress, or recover gases, such as butane, nitrogen, hydrogen, and natural gas.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
Wages Updated to First Quarter, 2020

					Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	Mean SE*	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Central Minnesota	N/A	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A	$4.37/hr	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
U S	3,440	234	$30.84/hr	$0.56/hr	$18.58/hr	$24.56/hr	$32.53/hr	$37.60/hr	$40.87/hr
*SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate.

Related Occupations

Occupation (click title for details)	OES		Projections
	Employment	Median Wage	% Change 2022 - 2032
Packers and Packagers, Hand	1,690	$12.13/hr	-1.0%
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	230	$18.60/hr	17.5%
Plating and Coating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	110	$16.93/hr	-1.4%
Power Plant Operators	70	$46.70/hr	-11.3%
Gas Plant Operators	N/A	N/A	N/A

• Opens valve to allow gas to flow into and out of compressors.
• Cleans, lubricates, and adjusts compressors, using hand tools.
• Observes pressure gauges to determine consumption rate variations and turns knobs or switches to regulate pressures.
• Reads gas meters and records amount of gas received and dispensed from holders.
• Moves controls and turns valves to start compressor engines, pumps, and auxiliary equipment.
• Operates equipment to control transmission of natural gas through pipelines.
• Observes operation of equipment to detect malfunctions.
• Conducts chemical tests to evaluate quality of gas.
• Performs minor repairs on equipment, using hand tools.
• Records instrument readings and operational changes in operating log.
• Operates or tends equipment to purify gases.
• Monitors meters, gauges, and recording instrument charts to ensure specified temperature, pressure, and flow of gas through system.