Plant and System Operators, All Other Salary: $75,696 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 15,950 plant and system operators, all other nationally earn a mean of $75,696. Employment in the series shown rose about 56% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.2% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Plant and System Operators, All Other: what the data shows
Common questions about plant and system operators, all other careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a plant and system operators, all other?
Plant and System Operators, All Other is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-8099.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 15,950 workers.
How much does a plant and system operators, all other make?
BLS national median annual wage: $61,710 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $75,696 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,210 |
| 25th percentile | $61,774 |
| Median (50th) | $75,871 |
| 75th percentile | $84,756 |
| 90th percentile | $104,444 |
What education do you need?
For Plant and System Operators, All Other, 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.
Is plant and system operators, all other in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.2% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 11.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 24.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 15,950.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do plant and system operators, all others work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 15,950 | 20.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 12,810 | 16.6% |
| Manufacturing | 6,640 | 8.6% |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 4,100 | 5.3% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 3,140 | 4.1% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 3,050 | 4.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Plant and System Operators, All Other in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & Office Occupations | 1,441,580 | — |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | 156,260 | $51,500 |
| Psychiatric Aides | 34,900 | $41,590 |
| Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers | 205,230 | $54,660 |
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 12,460 | $65,480 |
| Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers | 34,860 | $97,540 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 318,570 | $96,800 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Plant and System Operators, All Other workforce.
Employment Over Time
15,950 Workforce in 2023
The Plant and System Operators, All Other workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$75,696 Average Wage
In 2023, Plant and System Operators, All Other earned an average of $75,696.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Salary distribution for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Employment Growth Projections
2.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
8,602 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 11.7%
9,611 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 24.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Plant and System Operators, All Other and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Plant and System Operators, All Other employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Wage Trends by Industry
-10.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 1,760 employees, $75,519 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 400 employees, $73,752 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 310 employees, $74,260 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 200 employees, $78,220 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 160 employees, $85,623 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 120 employees, $59,414 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 110 employees, $72,208 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 110 employees, $80,120 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 90 employees, $88,685 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 60 employees, $77,964 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 60 employees, $67,406 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Diversity
Demographic information on Plant and System Operators, All Other in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Plant and System Operators, All Other in 2023 was 15,950 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
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 Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Plant and System Operators, All Other in 2023 were Business, Social Sciences, General Studies.
Common majors for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Plant and System Operators, All Other workers.
Education level distribution for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Skills
Plant and System Operators, All Other need many skills, but most especially .
Required skills for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Plant and System Operators, All Other include .
Knowledge areas required for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Plant and System Operators, All Other include .
Required abilities for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Plant and System Operators, All Other.
Daily Activities
Plant and System Operators, All Other spend their time on activities such as .
Most important work activities for Plant and System Operators, All Other.
About
Plant and System Operators, All Other
The average yearly wage for Plant and System Operators, All Other was $75,696 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-8099 - Plant and System Operators, All Other
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Plant and System Operators, All Other reports an average salary of $75,696.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 15,950 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.2%, 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.