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Salary guide, May 2025

Control Room (DCS) Operator pay in California

Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.

This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.

The median annual wage for Chemical Plant and System Operators in California was $87,550 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $81,210 and $103,060.

The California median is $9,430 above the national median of $78,120, both from BLS May 2025.

Direct match · SOC 51-8091 Chemical Plant and System Operators

The Control Room (DCS) Operator title maps to the published occupation. The duties align, but BLS combines employers and industries.

What should you know about california?

$87,550
Chemical Plant and System Operators in California: median $87,550; published 25th to 75th percentile $81,210 to $103,060.
Annual wage percentiles, California
10th25thMedian75th90th
$73,900$81,210$87,550$103,060$111,930
$42.09
Chemical Plant and System Operators in California: median $42.09; published 25th to 75th percentile $39.05 to $49.55.
Hourly wage percentiles, California
10th25thMedian75th90th
$35.53$39.05$42.09$49.55$53.81

BLS estimated 780 workers employed in this occupation in California. Location quotient: 0.4.

What should you know about united States?

$78,120
Chemical Plant and System Operators in U.S.: median $78,120; published 25th to 75th percentile $60,330 to $98,660.
Annual wage percentiles, U.S.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$48,400$60,330$78,120$98,660$111,930
$37.56
Chemical Plant and System Operators in U.S.: median $37.56; published 25th to 75th percentile $29.01 to $47.44.
Hourly wage percentiles, U.S.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$23.27$29.01$37.56$47.44$53.81

What should you know about two BLS releases?

Control Room (DCS) Operator in California, annual wages, May 2024 and May 2025
Release period25thMedian75th
May 2024$75,860$88,280$108,360
May 2025$81,210$87,550$103,060

These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-8091 Chemical Plant and System Operators, California. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-8091 Chemical Plant and System Operators, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.

What should you know about nearby areas?

Nearby areas, Control Room (DCS) Operator
AreaMedian25th to 75th
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$111,900$86,430 to $111,930
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA$87,210$76,420 to $100,800

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