Start with the answer
Chemical Plant and System Operators pay in Florida and Idaho
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Chemical Plant and System Operators is $128,830 per year in Florida. It is $82,980 per year in Idaho. Florida is 55.3% above Idaho on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 51-8091 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 60 wage and salary jobs in Florida and 60 in Idaho. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings
