Power Plant Operators Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-8013 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$102,045
$49.06/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Power Plant Operators salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$62K
P25$80K
P50$102K
P75$119K
P90$132K
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Demand: STABLE. Demand is stable -- manufacturing openings are at 3.7% (JOLTS, June 2026). A standard market: pay near the median, no urgency premium needed.
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Merit budget: Wages in manufacturing are rising about 3.3% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.9-3.4% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $102,045 to $119,080 (market median to the 75th percentile). Anchor on the median.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Power Plant Operators pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 2.4% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.3% wage growth of Manufacturing (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · STABLE
Manufacturing is running a 3.7% job-openings rate with quits at 1.5% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted up from 3.4% to 3.7% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 2.1 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback. Quits steady at 1.5%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Power Plant Operators is $102,045 per year ($49.06/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $79,685 and $119,080 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $131,955 per year. There are approximately 29,320 power plant operators employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Includes auxiliary equipment operators.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-11.2%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
3K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
32K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution
NAICS 221100
20K
$104,970
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
3K
$91,360
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
690
$63,620
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
640
$115,920
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
640
$75,570
Wage range across top 5 industries: $63,620 to $115,920 (82% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$29.71
$61,797
P25
$38.31
$79,685
P50MEDIAN
$49.06
$102,045
P75
$57.25
$119,080
P90
$63.44
$131,955
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.7%
Quits Rate
1.5%
Manufacturing openings eased to 481K (-36K) in June, rate 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback (-55K). Quits held at 1.5%. The sector remains stable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average power plant operators salary?
The national median salary for Power Plant Operators is $102,045 per year ($49.06/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $79,685 and $119,080 annually.
How much do top-earning power plant operators make?
The 90th percentile salary for Power Plant Operators is $131,955 per year ($63.44/hr). The 75th percentile is $119,080 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for power plant operators?
Entry-level Power Plant Operators (10th percentile) earn approximately $61,797 per year ($29.71/hr). The 25th percentile is $79,685 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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