Transportation and Material Moving · Holland code RC
Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators
Operate steam-, gas-, electric motor-, or internal combustion-engine driven compressors. Transmit, compress, or recover gases, such as butane, nitrogen, hydrogen, and natural gas.
Also called: Compressor Station Operator, Compressor Technician, Filler, Plant Operator, Compressor Operator, Fill Plant Operator, Liquefied Natural Gas Plant Operator (LNG Plant Operator), Pipeline Technician.
O*NET 53-7071.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $77,320
- Middle half earn $58,580 to $91,020. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 65% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Monitor meters and pressure gauges to determine consumption rate variations, temperatures, and pressures.
- Respond to problems by adjusting control room equipment or instructing other personnel to adjust equipment at problem locations or in other control areas.
- Record instrument readings and operational changes in operating logs.
- Adjust valves and equipment to obtain specified performance.
- Move controls and turn valves to start compressor engines, pumps, and auxiliary equipment.
- Operate power-driven pumps that transfer liquids, semi-liquids, gases, or powdered materials.
- Submit daily reports on facility operations.
- Take samples of gases and conduct chemical tests to determine gas quality and sulfur or moisture content, or send samples to laboratories for analysis.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.6 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
- Active Listening3.1 / 5
- Monitoring3.1 / 5
- Writing3.0 / 5
- Speaking3.0 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Production and Processing4.6 / 5
- Mechanical4.3 / 5
- Public Safety and Security3.9 / 5
- Administration and Management3.8 / 5
- Chemistry3.7 / 5
- English Language3.6 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic88
- Investigative22
- Artistic0
- Social9
- Enterprising8
- Conventional64
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- gas processing plant supervisor · DE Aufsichtskraft Erd- und Industriegasanlagen · FR superviseur d’installation de traitement de gaz/superviseuse d’installation de traitement de gaz
- gas station operator · DE Steuerer von Gasanlagen/Steuererin von Gasanlagen · FR opérateur/opératrice de station de gaz
- gas processing plant control room operator · DE Steuerer Leitstand von Gasaufbereitungsanlagen/Steuerin Leitstand von Gasaufbereitungsanlagen · FR pilote de salle de contrôle d’installation de traitement de gaz
- gas processing plant operator · DE Steuerer von Gasaufbereitungsanlagen/Steuerin von Gasaufbereitungsanlagen · FR opérateur d’installations de traitement de gaz/opératrice d’installations de traitement de gaz
- petroleum pump system operator · DE Steuerer Ölpumpsysteme/Steuerin Ölpumpsysteme · FR conducteur de systèmes de pompage de pétrole/conductrice de systèmes de pompage de pétrole
- gas transmission system operator · DE Fachkraft Gastransport · FR gestionnaire de réseau de transport de gaz
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Pipe fitters (5214)3,700 employed
- Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers (5315)153,700 employed
- Transport and distribution clerks and assistants (4134)69,500 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €50,992 |
| Austria | €46,986 |
| Germany | €44,473 |
| Netherlands | €42,448 |
| Ireland | €41,613 |
| Sweden | €41,155 |
| Italy | €34,882 |
| France | €34,816 |
| Spain | €29,757 |
| Portugal | €18,080 |
| Poland | €12,108 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.69. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (53-7071).
Related careers
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