The average annual salaries for power plant operators in the state of Virginia are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of power plant operators among Virginia cities is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].
| Percentile bracket | Average annual salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $44,100 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $50,740 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $68,280 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $87,100 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $103,150 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for power plant operators in Virginia in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $103,150. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $68,280. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $44,100.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of power plant operators from 2012 to 2022.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 10-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $68,280 | 7.00% | 31.34% |
| 2021 | $63,500 | 2.11% | - |
| 2020 | $62,160 | 14.85% | - |
| 2019 | $52,930 | -6.18% | - |
| 2018 | $56,200 | 4.07% | - |
| 2017 | $53,910 | -0.43% | - |
| 2016 | $54,140 | 11.90% | - |
| 2015 | $47,700 | -0.65% | - |
| 2014 | $48,010 | 7.83% | - |
| 2013 | $44,250 | -5.94% | - |
| 2012 | $46,880 | - | - |
Table 3 shows the median annual salary of power plant operators in some Virginia cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of power plant operators in state of Virginia ranges from $41,600 to $101,930. The highest paying area for power plant operators in Virginia is Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol with a median annual salary of $101,930. The second highest paying city/area in Virginia State is Southwestern Virginia nonmetropolitan area (mean annual salary $85,670). The lowest paying area is Roanoke with a median annual salary of $41,600.