The salary statistics of power plant operators in the industry sector of utilities are shown in Table 1. In Table 2 we compare power plant operator salaries in different industries within the utilities sector.
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $50,720 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $65,860 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $79,290 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $93,930 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $104,070 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for power plant operators in the industry sector of utilities. The salaries are shown in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) power plant operators is $104,070. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $79,290. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent paid power plant operators is $50,720.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of power plant operators in the industry sector of utilities from 2012 to 2017.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 5-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $79,290 | 4.20% | 15.06% |
| 2016 | $75,960 | 3.50% | - |
| 2015 | $73,300 | 2.78% | - |
| 2014 | $71,260 | 2.58% | - |
| 2013 | $69,420 | 2.98% | - |
| 2012 | $67,350 | - | - |
The average salaries of power plant operators in eleven industries in the utilities sector are shown below. We note that within this industry sector, the salaries vary among different industries. The highest paying industry for power plant operator occupations is the natural gas distribution industry with an annual salary $104,330. The lowest paying industry is the biomass electric power generation industry (annual salary $49,610). For detailed power plant operator salary information in a particular industry, use the links provided below.
Data source: The national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2017 and published in April 2018 [1].