Power Plant Operators Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for power plant operatorss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $99,790 ≈ $48/hr

National median salary $102,040

Total employment 29,320 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -11.2% Decline

Annual openings 2,500 per year (avg)

Employment 2024→2034 31,600 → 28,000 (-3,500)

Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

AK ME WI VT NH WA ID MT ND MN IL MI NY MA OR NV WY SD IA IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA UT CO NE MO KY WV VA MD DE AZ NM KS AR TN NC SC DC OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL

Mean annual wage $74,000–$90,000 $90,000–$97,000 $97,000–$102,000 $102,000–$109,000 $109,000–$128,000 U.S. mean $99,790

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

Washington$128,230
New Jersey$120,430
Hawaii$119,700
North Dakota$116,410
Nevada$115,780

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

Virginia$74,290
Wisconsin$77,010
South Carolina$80,990
Maine$83,380
Vermont$85,450

State Rankings

⇄ Compare specific states

#	State	Mean	Median	Hourly	vs. U.S.	Employment
1	Washington	$128,230	$131,620	$62	+28.5%	430
2	New Jersey	$120,430	$131,370	$58	+20.7%	300
3	Hawaii	$119,700	$121,700	$58	+20%	290
4	North Dakota	$116,410	$122,160	$56	+16.7%	150
5	Nevada	$115,780	$131,400	$56	+16%	250
6	Oregon	$113,120	$109,830	$54	+13.4%	250
7	Idaho	$112,490	$124,440	$54	+12.7%	310
8	California	$110,960	$105,210	$53	+11.2%	2,610
9	Delaware	$110,380	$103,010	$53	+10.6%	80
10	Tennessee	$108,900	$115,920	$52	+9.1%	490
11	New York	$108,880	$106,990	$52	+9.1%	1,960
12	Colorado	$108,860	$102,780	$52	+9.1%	250
13	Maryland	$107,840	$111,260	$52	+8.1%	330
14	Utah	$106,170	$107,120	$51	+6.4%	420
15	Michigan	$105,460	$105,820	$51	+5.7%	1,220
16	Illinois	$103,620	$104,440	$50	+3.8%	1,160
17	Indiana	$103,120	$107,000	$50	+3.3%	1,190
18	Connecticut	$102,700	$97,460	$49	+2.9%	250
19	Wyoming	$102,530	$99,200	$49	+2.7%	230
20	Alabama	$102,330	$107,080	$49	+2.5%	790
21	Rhode Island	$102,280	$98,050	$49	+2.5%	50
22	North Carolina	$100,460	$108,300	$48	+0.7%	420
23	New Mexico	$99,890	$105,510	$48	+0.1%	130
24	Massachusetts	$99,500	$100,140	$48	-0.3%	880
25	Montana	$99,440	$106,040	$48	-0.4%	130
26	Georgia	$99,430	$107,580	$48	-0.4%	590
27	Ohio	$98,700	$104,160	$47	-1.1%	730
28	Nebraska	$97,900	$98,210	$47	-1.9%	360
29	Louisiana	$97,610	$101,170	$47	-2.2%	370
30	Texas	$97,000	$102,510	$47	-2.8%	2,100
31	Mississippi	$96,620	$102,400	$46	-3.2%	450
32	Pennsylvania	$96,280	$95,800	$46	-3.5%	1,010
33	Minnesota	$95,700	$94,390	$46	-4.1%	970
34	Kentucky	$93,970	$93,400	$45	-5.8%	690
35	Iowa	$93,580	$100,500	$45	-6.2%	470
36	Missouri	$93,560	$101,900	$45	-6.2%	—
37	West Virginia	$93,210	$97,210	$45	-6.6%	170
38	Arkansas	$90,450	$97,760	$43	-9.4%	220
39	Florida	$89,890	$94,290	$43	-9.9%	1,640
40	Alaska	$89,690	$88,870	$43	-10.1%	650
41	Arizona	$89,350	$84,970	$43	-10.5%	390
42	New Hampshire	$86,560	$81,070	$42	-13.3%	90
43	Kansas	$85,850	$79,980	$41	-14%	520
44	Oklahoma	$85,480	$88,590	$41	-14.3%	520
45	Vermont	$85,450	$78,240	$41	-14.4%	140
46	Maine	$83,380	$81,060	$40	-16.4%	190
47	South Carolina	$80,990	$79,900	$39	-18.8%	680
48	Wisconsin	$77,010	$66,080	$37	-22.8%	420
49	Virginia	$74,290	$73,640	$36	-25.6%	590

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 170 metro areas.

#	Metro area	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA	$145,510	$150,930	70
2	Fresno, CA	$138,930	$131,280	130
3	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$137,030	$128,530	—
4	Boise City, ID	$134,050	$108,630	70
5	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$133,380	$135,310	210
6	Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	$133,140	$126,340	130
7	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$132,600	$130,890	300
8	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	$132,030	$114,600	120
9	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$131,770	$123,810	1,090
10	Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area	$129,270	$122,530	50

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing power plant operatorss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#	Industry	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Sector 81 - Other Services (except Public Administration)	$132,490	$109,560	—
2	Nuclear Electric Power Generation	$128,200	$132,540	380
3	Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)	$115,920	$118,250	640
4	Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	$115,920	$118,250	640
5	Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation	$105,970	$105,600	11,590
6	Utilities	$105,210	$104,520	20,400
7	Sector 22 - Utilities	$105,210	$104,520	20,400
8	Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution	$104,970	$103,560	19,690
9	Cross-industry, Private Ownership only	$102,950	$101,460	24,190
10	Scientific Research and Development Services	$102,590	$106,340	100
11	Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences	$102,590	$106,340	100
12	Cross-Industry, Private, Federal, State, and Local	$102,040	$99,790	29,320

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do power plant operators make in the U.S.?

The median power plant operators salary in the United States is $102,040 per year (mean $99,790), and about 80% earn between $61,790 and $131,940.

How much do power plant operators make per hour?

Roughly $48 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $99,790 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays power plant operators the most?

Washington has the highest average pay for power plant operators at $128,230 per year (median $131,620).

What is the job outlook for power plant operators?

Employment is projected to change -11.2% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 2,500 openings per year.