How much do chemical production supervisors make in 2026?
Chemical production supervisors are reported inside SOC 51-1011, first-line supervisors of production and operating workers, which BLS OEWS May 2025 puts at a national median of $74,450 a year, or $35.79 an hour, with a P10 to P90 range of $47,130 to $108,750 across 673,430 workers. That is a broad match onto one of the largest supervisory rows in this dataset, covering front-line supervision across all manufacturing. Chemical plants sit in the upper part of that band, and for a specific reason: the supervisor carries process safety accountability that most manufacturing supervision does not. Authorising work permits, approving line breaks, signing off on procedures, ensuring management of change is followed and making the call during an upset are responsibilities where the consequence of error is measured in serious injury rather than in scrap. Within the chemical sector, pay follows hazard class, shift structure and unit complexity, with supervisors on continuous high-hazard units above those in blending and packaging operations. Most come up through operations rather than from outside. BLS projects 1.2% growth for the pooled code through 2034 with roughly 67,700 openings a year. → Full chemical production supervisor career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $74,450 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Chemical Production Supervisors earn a national median $74,450/yr ($35.79/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 51-1011); the P10 to P90 range is $47,130 to $108,750.
- The BLS row pools chemical supervision with 673,430 production supervisors across all manufacturing, and chemical plants sit in the upper part of that band.
- Process safety accountability, including permits, line breaks and management of change, is what distinguishes this role from general manufacturing supervision.
- Moving from senior operator to supervisor is not always a large pay increase once shift differentials and overtime are accounted for, which is worth calculating before accepting the step.
US Chemical Production Supervisor Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do chemical production supervisors earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 51-1011; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 51-1011, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a chemical production supervisor earn at each career stage?
Chemical supervision pay follows hazard class and span. Each median below is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 51-1011.
By State
Which states pay chemical production supervisors the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates, not BLS state observations: the national median for SOC 51-1011 scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index. Chemical manufacturing concentrates in a small number of industrial corridors, and supervisory pay there is set against plant hazard class and structure rather than the state wage level.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($85,620), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay chemical production supervisors the most?
Metro figures are modeled, national median times state wage index times published metro index, not BLS metropolitan observations. Chemical plants sit outside metropolitan cores for good reasons, so this table is context rather than a market map.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a chemical production supervisor’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does chemical production supervisor pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Chemical Production Supervisors sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify chemical production supervisor wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a chemical production supervisor actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Chemical Production Supervisor Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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