Key Factors That Influence Refinery Operator Salaries
A Refinery Operator's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, skills
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Refinery Operator Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Refinery Operator's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $89,500
San Francisco: $88,500
Oakland: $86,600
San Jose, CA$89,500
San Francisco, CA$88,500
Oakland, CA$86,600
New York, NY$81,700
Paramus, NJ$80,700
Queens Village, NY$80,700
Passaic, NJ$80,600
Bergenfield, NJ$80,600
Huntington, NY$80,400
Stamford, CT$80,400
Newark, NJ$79,900
Bridgeport, CT$79,700
Vallejo, CA$79,600
New Brunswick, NJ$79,600
Petaluma, CA$79,500
Middlesex, NJ$79,400
Somerset, NJ$79,300
Santa Cruz, CA$79,200
Boston, MA$78,800
Monterey, CA$78,600
Seattle, WA$78,400
Santa Rosa, CA$78,400
Los Angeles, CA$78,400
Juneau, AK$78,200
Washington, DC$78,100
Orange, CA$77,900
Santa Ana, CA$77,700
Long Beach, CA$77,600
Anaheim, CA$77,600
Anchorage, AK$77,500
Santa Maria, CA$77,300
Everett, WA$77,300
Danbury, CT$77,100
Bremerton, WA$77,000
Tacoma, WA$76,700
New Suffolk, NY$76,700
Sacramento, CA$76,700
Santa Barbara, CA$76,600
Brockton, MA$76,500
San Diego, CA$76,500
Trenton, NJ$76,500
Fairbanks, AK$76,300
Lompoc, CA$76,100
Lowell, MA$76,100
Ventura, CA$76,000
Nashua, NH$76,000
Stockton, CA$76,000
Modesto, CA$75,500
Poughkeepsie, NY$75,300
Kennewick, WA$75,200
Olympia, WA$75,200
New Haven, CT$75,200
Lawrence, MA$74,900
Hartford, CT$74,900
New Bedford, MA$74,800
Richland, WA$74,800
Riverside, CA$74,800
Bakersfield, CA$74,700
Portsmouth, NH$74,600
Norwich, CT$74,600
New London, CT$74,600
San Bernardino, CA$74,600
New Britain, CT$74,600
Atlantic City, NJ$74,600
Boulder, CO$74,400
Portland, OR$74,300
Worcester, MA$74,300
Minneapolis, MN$74,100
Philadelphia, PA$74,000
Honolulu, HI$73,800
Saint Paul, MN$73,700
Vineland, NJ$73,700
Providence, RI$73,500
Chicago, IL$73,300
Springfield, MA$73,200
Bellingham, WA$73,200
Baltimore, MD$73,100
Chico, CA$73,000
Pittsfield, MA$72,800
Manchester, NH$72,600
Spokane, WA$72,300
Denver, CO$72,300
Albany, NY$72,000
Troy, NY$72,000
Nassau, NY$71,900
Schenectady, NY$71,800
Wilmington, DE$71,700
Burlington, VT$71,600
Salem, OR$71,600
Portland, ME$71,400
Yakima, WA$71,300
Rochester, MN$71,100
Reno, NV$71,100
Fresno, CA$71,100
Milwaukee, WI$71,000
Allentown, PA$70,900
Ann Arbor, MI$70,900
Detroit, MI$70,900
Colorado Springs, CO$70,800
Syracuse, NY$70,800
Carson City, NV$70,800
Houston, TX$70,700
Eugene, OR$70,600
Gary, IN$70,500
Springfield, OR$70,500
Bismarck, ND$70,500
Galveston, TX$70,400
Medford, OR$70,300
Fort Collins, CO$70,300
Concord, NH$70,300
Austin, TX$70,200
Mesa, AZ$70,100
Reading, PA$70,100
Phoenix, AZ$70,100
Dallas, TX$70,000
Saint Cloud, MN$70,000
Madison, WI$69,900
Utica, NY$69,700
Rochester, NY$69,600
Des Moines, IA$69,600
Raleigh, NC$69,600
Atlanta, GA$69,500
Battle Creek, MI$69,400
Salt Lake City, UT$69,400
Lancaster, PA$69,300
Harrisburg, PA$69,200
Kansas City, MO$69,100
Kansas City, KS$69,100
Champaign, IL$69,100
Fort Worth, TX$69,100
Columbus, OH$69,100
Boca Raton, FL$69,100
Pittsburgh, PA$69,100
Indianapolis, IN$69,000
Cleveland, OH$69,000
Richmond, VA$69,000
Las Vegas, NV$68,900
Cincinnati, OH$68,900
Petersburg, VA$68,800
Huntsville, AL$68,700
Lansing, MI$68,700
Lebanon, PA$68,700
Pueblo, CO$68,700
Buffalo, NY$68,600
Charlotte, NC$68,600
Racine, WI$68,600
Appleton, WI$68,600
Dayton, OH$68,600
Gastonia, NC$68,500
Saint Louis, MO$68,500
York, PA$68,500
Elkhart, IN$68,500
Billings, MT$68,500
Binghamton, NY$68,400
Toledo, OH$68,400
Rock Hill, SC$68,400
Lorain, OH$68,400
Beaumont, TX$68,400
Benton Harbor, MI$68,400
Rockford, IL$68,300
Springfield, IL$68,300
Elyria, OH$68,300
Fargo, ND$68,300
Flagstaff, AZ$68,200
Fort Lauderdale, FL$68,200
Duluth, MN$68,200
Miami, FL$68,200
Grand Forks, ND$68,100
Cheyenne, WY$68,100
Bangor, ME$67,900
Cedar Rapids, IA$67,900
Hialeah, FL$67,800
Grand Rapids, MI$67,800
Durham, NC$67,800
Louisville, KY$67,800
Casper, WY$67,700
Scranton, PA$67,600
New Orleans, LA$67,600
Virginia Beach, VA$67,600
Akron, OH$67,600
Sarasota, FL$67,500
Peoria, IL$67,500
Charleston, SC$67,400
Baton Rouge, LA$67,400
Nashville, TN$67,400
Omaha, NE$67,400
Green Bay, WI$67,400
Jamestown, NY$67,300
Davenport, IA$67,300
Tucson, AZ$67,300
Port Arthur, TX$67,200
Evansville, IN$67,200
Bradenton, FL$67,200
Saint Petersburg, FL$67,200
Tampa, FL$67,200
Santa Fe, NM$67,000
Orlando, FL$66,900
Clearwater, FL$66,900
Newport News, VA$66,700
Albuquerque, NM$66,700
High Point, NC$66,700
La Crosse, WI$66,700
Canton, OH$66,700
Corpus Christi, TX$66,600
Ogden, UT$66,600
Salisbury, NC$66,500
Norfolk, VA$66,500
Laramie, WY$66,500
Rock Island, IL$66,500
Saginaw, MI$66,500
Jacksonville, FL$66,500
Memphis, TN$66,400
Fort Myers, FL$66,400
Boise, ID$66,400
Moline, IL$66,400
Tulsa, OK$66,300
Waterloo, IA$66,300
Spartanburg, SC$66,200
Lincoln, NE$66,200
Fort Wayne, IN$66,200
Provo, UT$66,200
Cedar Falls, IA$66,100
San Antonio, TX$66,100
South Bend, IN$66,000
Greensboro, NC$66,000
Savannah, GA$65,900
Muskegon, MI$65,900
Birmingham, AL$65,900
Winston Salem, NC$65,900
Lake Charles, LA$65,700
Anderson, IN$65,700
Lexington, KY$65,700
Wichita, KS$65,600
Lima, OH$65,600
Tuscaloosa, AL$65,600
Augusta, GA$65,600
Greenville, SC$65,600
Columbia, SC$65,500
Springfield, OH$65,500
Asheville, NC$65,400
Bloomington, IN$65,300
Knoxville, TN$65,100
Shreveport, LA$65,100
Wilmington, NC$65,000
Roanoke, VA$65,000
Frankfort, KY$64,900
Topeka, KS$64,900
Oklahoma City, OK$64,800
Chillicothe, OH$64,800
Longview, TX$64,800
Melbourne, FL$64,800
Sioux Falls, SD$64,600
Mobile, AL$64,600
Terre Haute, IN$64,600
Altoona, PA$64,600
Killeen, TX$64,500
Amarillo, TX$64,500
Fayetteville, AR$64,400
Chattanooga, TN$64,400
Sioux City, IA$64,400
Idaho Falls, ID$64,300
Lynchburg, VA$64,300
Gainesville, FL$64,200
Portsmouth, OH$64,200
Temple, TX$64,100
Pensacola, FL$64,100
Clarksville, TN$64,100
Youngstown, OH$64,100
Lafayette, LA$64,100
Little Rock, AR$64,100
Daytona Beach, FL$64,100
Hopkinsville, KY$63,800
Erie, PA$63,800
Florence, SC$63,800
Charleston, WV$63,700
Great Falls, MT$63,700
Macon, GA$63,600
Tallahassee, FL$63,500
Fayetteville, NC$63,500
Waco, TX$63,500
Helena, MT$63,500
Pine Bluff, AR$63,400
Vincennes, IN$63,400
Lubbock, TX$63,300
Alamogordo, NM$63,300
Twin Falls, ID$63,200
Rapid City, SD$63,200
Greenville, MS$63,100
Jackson, MS$63,100
Huntington, WV$63,100
Parkersburg, WV$63,000
Montgomery, AL$63,000
Wichita Falls, TX$62,900
Springfield, MO$62,900
Biloxi, MS$62,900
Johnstown, PA$62,800
Monroe, LA$62,800
Columbus, GA$62,700
Sumter, SC$62,700
Pascagoula, MS$62,600
Abilene, TX$62,600
Kingsport, TN$62,400
Albany, GA$62,400
Gulfport, MS$62,400
Alexandria, LA$62,100
Fort Smith, AR$62,000
El Paso, TX$61,800
Las Cruces, NM$61,500
Pocatello, ID$61,300
Harlingen, TX$61,300
Florence, AL$61,200
Brownsville, TX$61,200
Mcallen, TX$61,000
Dothan, AL$60,900
Columbus, MS$60,500
Altus, OK$60,200
Lawton, OK$60,000
Pierre, SD$59,800
What Skills Can Increase a Refinery Operator's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Commitment (Mentioned in 9.52% Job Postings): An agreement or pledge to do something in the future a commitment to improve conditions at the prison especially : an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a future date.
Work Ethic (Mentioned in 2.38% Job Postings): A belief that work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities. A set of values centered on importance of work and manifested by determination or desire to work hard.
Mechanical Aptitude (Mentioned in 1.19% Job Postings): Mechanical aptitude is a measure of a technical or engineering candidate's mechanical reasoning and mechanical comprehension to succeed in their domain.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Refinery Operator's salary.
Scheduling: Can increase your salary by up to 43%.
Commitment: Can increase your salary by up to 19%.
Communicates Effectively: Can increase your salary by up to 16%.
Refinery Operator Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise
Refinery Operator salary potential scales significantly with company size.
Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $74,591.
While startup companies pay approximate $63,178.
Refinery Operator Salary by Company Size
Company Size
Employees
Average Salary
Startup
1~50
$63,178
Growth Stage
51~500
$66,791
Established
501~5000
$72,059
Enterprise
5000+
$74,591
Refinery Operator Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Refinery Operator's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
For a Refinery Operator, the most direct path to higher earnings is advancing to the Oil Refinery Operator III role.
This promotion typically comes with a significant pay increase, bringing the average annual salary to
$77,100 - a projected growth of
20%
over your current level.
Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Refinery Operator job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources.
We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right.
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