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…

O*NET skills and knowledge for Power Plant Operators

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-8013 - entity-keyed; 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.

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

Dive into Power Plant Operators in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in Tennessee

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in Maryland

Second-highest state pay

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Highest-pay peer · $123K

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

Lower-pay peer · $60K

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Peer-comparison next reads

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Against another occupation

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

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.
How does Power Plant Operators sit next to other Production Occupations titles? ▼
On this card, neighboring same-major-group titles include Nuclear Power Reactor Operators, Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators, Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic, Power Distributors and Dispatchers. Among those peers, Nuclear Power Reactor Operators holds the highest published national median ($122,890). Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators sits lower at $60,020. Peer titles are hash-ordered per card so adjacent SOC pages do not share an identical ladder.
What is the median salary for Power Plant Operators? ▼
The median salary for Power Plant Operators is $102,040 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 OEWS data). This means half of workers in this occupation earn more and half earn less. The full range is $61,790 (10th percentile) to $131,940 (90th percentile). For context beside Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($122,890), this role's median is the OEWS national figure above.
Is Power Plant Operators a growing occupation? ▼
The BLS projects -11% employment change for Power Plant Operators from 2024 to 2034. There are approximately 2,500 projected annual openings. This is declining relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%.
What education do you need to become a power plant operators? ▼
BLS assigns Power Plant Operators to High school diploma or equivalent for typical education needed for entry. These occupation-level categories are not requirements for every employer or worker.
Which states pay power plant operators the most? ▼
The highest published state medians in this ranking for Power Plant Operators are Tennessee ($115,920), Maryland ($111,260), Washington ($131,620). The table does not identify why 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

All federal data sources used on this page
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - wage estimates by area + occupation. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - occupation task statements (importance-ranked). onetcenter.org
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) - quarterly employment and wage totals by industry. bls.gov/cew
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for metro/state aggregates. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) - monthly nonfarm payroll baselines. bls.gov/ces
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context. irs.gov/statistics
  • BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) - unemployment context for labor-market comparisons. bls.gov/lau