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Chemical Plant and System Operators: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
One apprenticeship title on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Chemical Plant and System Operators, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 8,000 hours, for PLANT OPERATOR, FURNACE PRO (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| PLANT OPERATOR, FURNACE PRO | 0393 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What chemical plant and system operators earn, by state
Florida has the highest state median for chemical plant and system operators ($128,830) and Tennessee the lowest ($45,830), across the 35 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $128,830 | $61.94 | 60 |
| Wyoming | $107,810 | $51.83 | 300 |
| Texas | $102,750 | $49.40 | 2,360 |
| Louisiana | $100,060 | $48.10 | 3,400 |
| Kentucky | $97,550 | $46.90 | 40 |
| Maryland | $95,150 | $45.75 | 290 |
| Alabama | $91,610 | $44.04 | 230 |
| Arkansas | $91,610 | $44.04 | 240 |
| California | $87,550 | $42.09 | 780 |
| Oregon | $87,110 | $41.88 | 120 |
| New Jersey | $86,820 | $41.74 | 330 |
| Massachusetts | $83,710 | $40.25 | 570 |
| Idaho | $82,980 | $39.90 | 60 |
| West Virginia | $81,710 | $39.28 | 380 |
| New Mexico | $72,610 | $34.91 | Not published |
| Michigan | $72,430 | $34.82 | 40 |
| Mississippi | $71,080 | $34.17 | 320 |
| Pennsylvania | $70,110 | $33.71 | 770 |
| South Carolina | $68,510 | $32.94 | 610 |
| Ohio | $67,580 | $32.49 | 240 |
| Minnesota | $66,500 | $31.97 | 150 |
| Illinois | $65,710 | $31.59 | 160 |
| Utah | $63,460 | $30.51 | 320 |
| Virginia | $63,000 | $30.29 | 760 |
| New York | $62,980 | $30.28 | 120 |
| North Carolina | $62,920 | $30.25 | 660 |
| Colorado | $62,870 | $30.23 | 400 |
| Wisconsin | $62,720 | $30.15 | 90 |
| Iowa | $60,440 | $29.06 | 490 |
| Washington | $60,120 | $28.90 | 350 |
| South Dakota | $59,970 | $28.83 | 180 |
| Missouri | $55,470 | $26.67 | 450 |
| Georgia | $49,230 | $23.67 | 220 |
| Indiana | $49,110 | $23.61 | 320 |
| Tennessee | $45,830 | $22.03 | 350 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).