Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Power Plant Operator is a professional role in the Production job family, focused on Power Plant Operator work. Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.
What Power Plant Operators do
Typical education: High School Diploma
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.
Monitor power plant equipment and indicators to detect evidence of operating problems.
Top skills:Operations MonitoringOperation and ControlCritical ThinkingSpeakingMonitoringComplex Problem Solving
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Power Plant Operator salary by industry
Utilities
20,400 workers
$108,000
Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS
4,330 workers
$100,500
Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
3,130 workers
$97,000
State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
1,350 workers
$77,500
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
1,030 workers
$93,500
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
880 workers
$80,000
Educational Services
730 workers
$68,500
Sectors 31, 32, and 33 – Manufacturing
680 workers
$76,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Power Plant Operator pays 88% above the average across 105 roles in the Production job family (family average $55,000).
The average base salary for a Power Plant Operator in the United States is $103,500 per year, or about $49.76 per hour.
What is the typical salary range?
Pay typically falls between $82,500 and $123,500 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.
How does this compare with other Production roles?
The Production job family averages $55,000 across 105 roles tracked by WePayFairly.
Need a defensible market price for this role? WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.
