How much do compressor technicians make in 2026?
Compressor technicians are counted in the BLS industrial machinery mechanics series: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 49-9041 national median at $64,520 a year ($31.02 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $46,120 and the top 10% at $95,170. The specialism forks in a way the single median hides. Plant and shop air compressor service — rotary screw and reciprocating units, dryers, filtration and distribution — is a service-contract business paid around the middle of the band, with earnings shaped by call-out work and by whether you sell and commission systems as well as repair them. Field gas compression is a different market: natural gas gathering, gas lift, midstream and processing compressor packages, often engine-driven, maintained on rotation across a wide territory. That work pays toward and beyond the upper quarter because it demands engine, compressor and controls competence together, involves remote sites and on-call rotation, and directly affects production volume. Centrifugal and process air compression in refining, chemical and industrial gas plants sits high as well. EPA Section 608 certification is required where refrigerant-bearing systems are involved. Employment is projected to grow 16.1% through 2034 with roughly 45,700 openings a year. → Full compressor technician career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $64,520 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Compressor Technicians earn a national median $64,520/yr ($31.02/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-9041); the P10 to P90 range is $46,120 to $95,170.
- Compressor work has no dedicated BLS series; it sits in SOC 49-9041, whose $46,120 to $95,170 band covers both plant air service and field gas compression.
- Field gas compression pays best — engine-driven packages, remote sites and on-call rotation put technicians toward and beyond the upper quarter of the band.
- Plant air work is a service-contract business where earnings depend on call-out volume, commissioning work and system sales support rather than on repair hours alone.
US Compressor Technician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do compressor technicians 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 49-9041; 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 49-9041, 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 compressor technician earn at each career stage?
Compressor pay follows the equipment class and how far from support you can work unaided. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 49-9041.
By State
Which states pay compressor technicians the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Compressor geography is bimodal: gas-producing and midstream states pay field technicians well above the modeled figure, while elsewhere the work is plant air service priced against local industrial rates.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($74,200), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay compressor technicians the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Plant air service is metro-centred because that is where the compressors are; gas compression work is the opposite, paid on rotation and per diem at sites far from any metro.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a compressor technician’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 compressor technician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Compressor Technicians 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 compressor technician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a compressor technician 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
Compressor Technician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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