Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 51-8013

Power Plant Operators

Median pay sits 50% above the mid peer in Production Occupations (neighbors include Nuclear Power Reactor Operators, Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators, Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic, Power Distributors and Dispatchers).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Power Plant Operators: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($123K) , Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators ($60K) , Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic ($64K) , Power Distributors and Dispatchers ($107K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Power Plant Operators publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-8013 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels
  2. 2. Take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals
  3. 3. Control power generating equipment, including boilers, turbines, generators, or reactors, using control boards or semi-automatic equipment
  4. 4. Start or stop generators, auxiliary pumping equipment, turbines, or other power plant equipment as necessary
  5. 5. Monitor power plant equipment and indicators to detect evidence of operating problems
  6. 6. Operate or maintain distributed power generation equipment, including fuel cells or microturbines, to produce energy on-site for manufact…
  7. 7. Adjust controls to generate specified electrical power or to regulate the flow of power between generating stations and substations
  8. 8. Open and close valves and switches in sequence to start or shut down auxiliary units
  9. 9. Control or maintain auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, fans, compressors, condensers, feedwater heaters, filters, or chlorinators, to su…
  10. 10. Operate, control, or monitor equipment, such as acid or gas carbon dioxide removal units, carbon dioxide compressors, or pipelines, to ca…
  11. 11. Regulate equipment operations and conditions, such as water levels, based on instrument data or from computers
  12. 12. Operate, control, or monitor gasifiers or related equipment, such as coolers, water quenches, water gas shifts reactors, or sulfur recove…

Power Plant Operators: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-8013 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Mechanical. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 4.0
  2. 2. Operation and Control 3.9
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 3.8
  4. 4. Speaking 3.4
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.3
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.3
  7. 7. Complex Problem Solving 3.3
  8. 8. Reading Comprehension 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mechanical 4.0
  2. 2. Public Safety and Security 3.7
  3. 3. English Language 3.6
  4. 4. Production and Processing 3.4
  5. 5. Chemistry 3.2
  6. 6. Physics 3.1
Pay vs Production Occupations peers
+50%
vs mid peer median $68,120
This role $102,040/yr
$102K
National median
↓ -11%
Growth 2024-2034
2,500
Annual openings
29,320
Estimated US jobs
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Highest-pay peer · $123K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Power Plant Operators

1. Tennessee $115,920
2. Maryland $111,260
3. Washington $131,620
4. North Dakota $122,160
5. Hawaii $121,700
6. Idaho $124,440
7. New Jersey $131,370
8. Nevada $131,400
9. Oregon $109,830
10. North Carolina $108,300

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic $63,870
  2. 2. Power Distributors and Dispatchers $106,730
  3. 3. Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators $60,020
  4. 4. Nuclear Power Reactor Operators $122,890
  5. 5. Chemical Plant and System Operators $78,120
  6. 6. First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $74,450

Among Production Occupations peers on this card, Power Plant Operators sits 50% above the mid peer median ($68,120). Its own median is $102,040.

Employment Projections expect -11% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,500 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Tennessee at $115,920. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators at $122,890. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Power Plant Operators pay-rank #3 in Production Occupations

Among 105 detailed Production Occupations with a published OEWS median, Power Plant Operators is pay-rank #3, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Power Plant Operators pays 50% above its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Power Plant Operators salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 51-8013

Tennessee · top state for Power Plant Operators

$116K published median

Maryland · #2 state pay

$111K · behind Tennessee

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Highest-pay peer vs Power Plant Operators · $123K

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

Lower-pay peer beside Power Plant Operators · $60K

Compare Power Plant Operators

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Power Plant Operators with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Power Plant Operators

Against another occupation

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Production Occupations titles sit near Power Plant Operators at the top of the pay table? ▼
Power Plant Operators is pay-rank #3 of 105 detailed Production Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Power Distributors and Dispatchers ($107K), Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers ($97K), Gas Plant Operators ($88K), Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($123K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do power plant operators do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Power Plant Operators. Leading ones include: Control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels; Take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals; Control power generating equipment, including boilers, turbines, generators, or reactors, using control boards or semi-automatic equipment; Start or stop generators, auxiliary pumping equipment, turbines, or other power plant equipment as necessary. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for power plant operators? ▼
For SOC 51-8013, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (4.0), Operation and Control (3.9), Critical Thinking (3.8), Speaking (3.4). Knowledge areas emphasize Mechanical, Public Safety and Security, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Power Plant Operators? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $102,040 as the national median for Power Plant Operators. The published 10th-90th range is $61,790 to $131,940. Beside Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($122,890), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Power Plant Operators? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Power Plant Operators is -11%. Projected annual openings: about 2,500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Power Plant Operators? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Power Plant Operators. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Power Plant Operators? ▼
Tennessee ($115,920), Maryland ($111,260), Washington ($131,620) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Power Plant Operators card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 51-8013. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Power Plant Operators. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics