Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for stationary engineers and boiler 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 $83,960 ≈ $40/hr
National median salary $78,620
Total employment 28,250 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +2.2% About as fast as average
Annual openings 3,800 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 33,300 → 34,000 (+700)
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.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Illinois$106,410
  2. Wyoming$102,500
  3. New York$101,070
  4. Washington$95,180
  5. Hawaii$94,580

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. West Virginia$53,230
  2. Arkansas$57,250
  3. Alabama$57,630
  4. Louisiana$57,830
  5. Mississippi$59,070
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Illinois $106,410 $115,780 $51 +26.7% 1,680
2 Wyoming $102,500 $111,920 $49 +22.1% 100
3 New York $101,070 $94,070 $49 +20.4% 4,480
4 Washington $95,180 $91,530 $46 +13.4% 520
5 Hawaii $94,580 $103,400 $45 +12.6% 70
6 Connecticut $91,990 $94,870 $44 +9.6% 270
7 California $91,010 $90,650 $44 +8.4% 5,840
8 Alaska $90,660 $88,330 $44 +8% 90
9 District of Columbia $89,400 $90,470 $43 +6.5% 620
10 Nevada $88,360 $79,110 $42 +5.2% 60
11 Maryland $85,940 $85,240 $41 +2.4% 850
12 Arizona $82,710 $75,410 $40 -1.5% 80
13 Massachusetts $82,450 $80,800 $40 -1.8% 530
14 Delaware $79,820 $77,630 $38 -4.9% 40
15 Colorado $78,280 $81,310 $38 -6.8% 560

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 145 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $129,930 $118,680 980
2 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $123,170 $118,020 210
3 Vallejo, CA $123,170 $116,550 110
4 Alaska nonmetropolitan area $117,740 $107,190 40
5 Springfield, IL $117,590 $114,300 60
6 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $115,780 $110,200 1,210
7 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $112,250 $109,520 210
8 Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area $111,480 $111,950 40
9 South Illinois nonmetropolitan area $107,990 $98,940 70
10 West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area $105,590 $107,100 50

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing stationary engineers and boiler operatorss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors $145,950 $145,730
2 Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, Local Government Owned $137,090 $126,570 200
3 Hospitals, Local Government Owned $129,310 $115,890 820
4 General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, Local Government Owned $129,310 $115,890 820
5 Sector 52 - Finance and Insurance $123,160 $105,970 40
6 Outpatient Care Centers $120,700 $114,020 180
7 Ambulatory Health Care Services $118,610 $110,440 240
8 Sector 21 - Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction $111,480 $100,000
9 Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals, Privately Owned $111,280 $106,920 120
10 Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals $110,430 $100,950 150
11 Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) $106,580 $108,470 3,140
12 Utility System Construction $103,560 $106,610

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
18,145
$10-20k
2,821
$20-30k
5,395
$30-40k
8,657
$40-50k
7,594
$50-60k
9,956
$60-70k
9,704
$70-80k
10,947
$80-90k
10,626
$90-100k
5,913
$100-110k
5,732
$110-120k
2,631
$120-130k
3,695
$130-140k
2,374
$140-150k
1,373
$150-160k
864
$160-170k
693
$170-180k
933
$180-190k
615
$190-200k
1,169
$200k+
3,785

Pay by age band

16-24
$36,707
25-34
$63,317
35-44
$89,012
45-54
$89,836
55-64
$73,450
65+
$33,836

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$61,270
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$60,182
Bachelors Degree
$87,173
Associates Degree
$67,791
Some college, but less than 1 year
$60,464
GED or alternative credential
$77,662
Masters Degree
$120,907
12th grade - no diploma
$54,510
No schooling completed
$50,197
Grade 6
$37,769
Grade 10
$23,891
Doctorate degree
$253,611
Grade 11
$46,541
Grade 9
$16,089
Grade 8
$41,270
Professional degree
$14,396
Grade 3
$69,327

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
89,981 · $84,222
Part-time
5,267 · $35,763

Race / ethnicity

White
$66,056
Black
$65,222
Two or More Races
$82,432
Other
$54,868
Asian
$108,196
American Indian
$46,158
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$112,147
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$101,952
Alaska Native
$15,293

Top fields of study

Mechanical Engineering
$90,209
General Engineering
$92,744
Electrical Engineering
$112,670
Business Management And Administration
$89,305
Civil Engineering
$88,089
Computer Science
$154,075
History
$150,325
General Business
$89,560

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Operations Monitoring
4.0
Operation and Control
3.4
Repairing
3.3
Equipment Maintenance
3.3
Troubleshooting
3.3
Active Listening
3.3
Critical Thinking
3.3
Quality Control Analysis
3.1
Reading Comprehension
3.1
Active Learning
3.1
Monitoring
3.1
Coordination
3.1

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do stationary engineers and boiler operators make in the U.S.?

The median stationary engineers and boiler operators salary in the United States is $78,620 per year (mean $83,960), and about 80% earn between $50,590 and $125,390.

How much do stationary engineers and boiler operators make per hour?

Roughly $40 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $83,960 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays stationary engineers and boiler operators the most?

Illinois has the highest average pay for stationary engineers and boiler operators at $106,410 per year (median $115,780).

What is the job outlook for stationary engineers and boiler operators?

Employment is projected to change +2.2% from 2024 to 2034 (About as fast as average), with about 3,800 openings per year.