Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators Salary: $84,089 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 30,780 stationary engineers and boiler operators nationally earn a mean of $84,089. Employment in the series shown fell about 26% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 7.2% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators: what the data shows
Common questions about stationary engineers and boiler operators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a stationary engineers and boiler operators?
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-8021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 30,780 workers.
What does a stationary engineers and boiler operators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Controlling Machines and Processes, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a stationary engineers and boiler operators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $75,190 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $84,089 — 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 | $44,661 |
| 25th percentile | $53,002 |
| Median (50th) | $80,529 |
| 75th percentile | $107,861 |
| 90th percentile | $131,776 |
What education do you need?
For Stationary Engineers and Boiler 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, Troubleshooting, Repairing, Critical Thinking, Equipment Maintenance, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, Chemistry, Public Safety and Security, Physics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is stationary engineers and boiler operators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 7.2% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 41.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 101.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 30,780.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do stationary engineers and boiler operatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 30,780 | 16.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 19,740 | 10.8% |
| Hospitals | 11,440 | 6.3% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 11,050 | 6.1% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 10,240 | 5.6% |
| Educational Services | 9,260 | 5.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineers | 286,760 | $102,320 |
| Electrical Engineers | 188,790 | $111,910 |
| Aerospace Engineers | 68,440 | $134,830 |
| Nuclear Engineers | 14,740 | $127,520 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Physics Teachers, Postsecondary | 13,590 | $97,360 |
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | 3,320 | $50,280 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators workforce.
Employment Over Time
30,780 Workforce in 2023
The Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$84,089 Average Wage
In 2023, Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators earned an average of $84,089.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Salary distribution for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Employment Growth Projections
7.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
43,703 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 41.8%
61,971 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 101.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 7.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Wage Trends by Industry
14.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Stationary Engineers and Boiler 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: 7,800 employees, $81,960 avg wage
- NY: 4,350 employees, $97,490 avg wage
- PA: 1,670 employees, $70,090 avg wage
- IL: 1,670 employees, $103,530 avg wage
- MN: 1,540 employees, $75,360 avg wage
- MD: 1,170 employees, $87,740 avg wage
- NJ: 1,130 employees, $75,540 avg wage
- TX: 930 employees, $66,340 avg wage
- OH: 640 employees, $70,070 avg wage
- WA: 630 employees, $92,070 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 3,490 employees, $105,590 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,610 employees, $74,770 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 1,290 employees, $107,540 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,170 employees, $105,880 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 840 employees, $78,070 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 830 employees, $92,110 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 680 employees, $79,580 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 680 employees, $69,780 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: 610 employees, $84,380 avg wage
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 580 employees, $87,000 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators in 2023 was 30,780 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Stationary Engineers and Boiler 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 Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators in 2023 were Engineering, Mathematics, Physics.
Common majors for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators workers.
Education level distribution for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Skills
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Troubleshooting, Repairing, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators include Mechanical, Chemistry, Public Safety and Security, Physics, Engineering and Technology.
Knowledge areas required for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators include Near Vision, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Perceptual Speed.
Required abilities for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
Daily Activities
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators spend their time on activities such as Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Controlling Machines and Processes, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings.
Most important work activities for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
About
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
The average yearly wage for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators was $84,089 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-8021 - Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators reports an average salary of $84,089.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 30,780 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 7.2%, 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.