Power Plant Operators Salary: $113,247 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 30,720 power plant operators nationally earn a mean of $113,247. Employment in the series shown fell about 8% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.5% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Power Plant Operators: what the data shows
Common questions about power plant operators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a power plant operators?
Power Plant Operators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-8013.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 30,720 workers.
What does a power plant operators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Controlling Machines and Processes, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a power plant operators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $99,670 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $113,247 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $62,913 |
| 25th percentile | $79,646 |
| Median (50th) | $108,261 |
| 75th percentile | $140,189 |
| 90th percentile | $172,548 |
What education do you need?
For Power Plant Operators, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Quality Control Analysis, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Production and Processing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is power plant operators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.5% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -11.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -22.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 30,720.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do power plant operatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 30,720 | 17.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 25,150 | 14.3% |
| Utilities | 21,490 | 12.2% |
| Utilities | 21,490 | 12.2% |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | 20,790 | 11.8% |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation | 11,860 | 6.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Power Plant Operators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Power Plant Operators workforce.
Employment Over Time
30,720 Workforce in 2023
The Power Plant Operators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Power Plant Operators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$113,247 Average Wage
In 2023, Power Plant Operators earned an average of $113,247.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Power Plant Operators.
Salary distribution for Power Plant Operators.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
7,744 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -11.8%
6,830 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -22.2%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Power Plant Operators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Power Plant Operators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Power Plant Operators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Power Plant Operators.
Wage Trends by Industry
7.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Power Plant Operators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Power Plant Operators.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 2,390 employees, $110,380 avg wage
- NY: 2,350 employees, $112,300 avg wage
- TX: 1,880 employees, $91,770 avg wage
- IL: 1,630 employees, $97,440 avg wage
- PA: 1,380 employees, $87,100 avg wage
- FL: 1,330 employees, $89,110 avg wage
- MI: 1,200 employees, $97,930 avg wage
- MA: 1,060 employees, $97,430 avg wage
- IN: 900 employees, $95,740 avg wage
- AZ: 890 employees, $98,940 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Power Plant Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,250 employees, $122,870 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 690 employees, $98,930 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 660 employees, N/A avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 600 employees, $103,680 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 450 employees, $109,260 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 390 employees, $95,720 avg wage
- St. Louis, MO-IL: 380 employees, $93,450 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 360 employees, N/A avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 360 employees, $101,860 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 320 employees, $88,750 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Power Plant Operators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Power Plant Operators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Power Plant Operators in 2023 was 30,720 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Power Plant Operators.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Power Plant Operators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Power Plant Operators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Power Plant Operators in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Power Plant Operators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Power Plant Operators workers.
Education level distribution for Power Plant Operators.
Skills
Power Plant Operators need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Quality Control Analysis.
Required skills for Power Plant Operators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Power Plant Operators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Power Plant Operators include Mechanical, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Production and Processing, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Power Plant Operators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Power Plant Operators include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Deductive Reasoning, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Power Plant Operators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Power Plant Operators.
Daily Activities
Power Plant Operators spend their time on activities such as Controlling Machines and Processes, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Power Plant Operators.
About
Power Plant Operators
The average yearly wage for Power Plant Operators was $113,247 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-8013 - Power Plant Operators
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Power Plant Operators reports an average salary of $113,247, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 30,720 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.