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Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators

Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-7071

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$77,320
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
400
Proj. Annual Openings
3,510
Employment (OEWS 2025)
+0.3%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 53-7071 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
0.0%
Low · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
54/100
Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$77,320
No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
Projected openings
400
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -1.3%.
Observed/proxy demand
FY— certified LCAs; 470 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Operations MonitoringOperation and ControlCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionActive Listening

Transition context

  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.2%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

24.7%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI26.9%
AI ability · AIOE47.1%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne91%

AI could do ~26.9% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.

Top Skills

1.Operations Monitoring
2.Operation and Control
3.Critical Thinking
4.Reading Comprehension
5.Active Listening

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

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

Common titles: Compressor Operator, Compressor Station Operator, Compressor Technician, Fill Plant Operator, Filler, Liquefied Natural Gas Plant Operator (LNG Plant Operator)

Representative Tasks

  • 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.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Monitor equipment gauges or displays to ensure proper operation.
  • Control pumps or pumping equipment.
  • Record operational or production data.
  • Direct maintenance or repair activities.
  • Collect samples for analysis or testing.

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Office software · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotMicrosoft Word · hotComputerized maintenance management system CMMS

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
0.8%
Avg AI Exposure
6
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 53-7071: 2019 — employment: 3,440, median wage: $66,160; 2020 — employment: 3,800, median wage: $67,840; 2021 — employment: 2,910, median wage: $70,720; 2022 — employment: 3,740, median wage: $59,990; 2023 — employment: 4,400, median wage: $61,870; 2025 — employment: 3,510, median wage: $77,320.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure0.0%0.2%
OutlookAverage20% Bright
Median Salary$77,320N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A