Production

Power Plant Operators

SOC 51-8013

Control and monitor the equipment that generates electricity.

The job

Median pay

$102k

$80k to $119k typical range

Outlook, 2025 to 2035

Declining

-5.1% projected

Openings a year

2.3k

BLS projection

Typical education

High school

Our model

AI displacement risk

Moderate

How much of this job AI may do instead of the person

Works with AI

8/100

AI alongside the person rather than instead of them

AI exposure

35th pct

More exposed than 35% of occupations · modeled estimate · 18th pct in Microsoft's data

Future-proof

43/100

At a glance

Looking to 2035, the projected change for Power Plant Operators is -5.1%, well behind the typical occupation we cover. Growth is the contrast with CNC Programmers: -5.1% here against +5.9% there. Annual openings for Power Plant Operators come to about 2,300, a thin hiring pool by comparison. Getting in usually takes a high school diploma. At $102,040 a year, median pay runs 52% above the typical occupation we cover, and more than double the median across Production. Works-with-AI scores 8/100 against moderate displacement risk, leaning toward displacement, with modeled exposure at the 35th percentile.

Take the next step

Weigh it against BrewmastersPay, outlook, entry and AI exposure side by side See where it pays mostWashington leads at $132k; all states are listed below Find careers like itOpen the map at Power Plant Operators and explore its neighbours See open jobsPower Plant Operators roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for Power Plant Operators, who lean most on critical thinking Real pay & reviewsSelf-reported pay and reviews on Glassdoor

Similar pay in Production

Key skills

Critical Thinking
Monitoring
Speaking
Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Writing

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 50 states and DC. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
California	2,610	0.1	0.8×	$105k
Texas	2,100	0.1	0.8×	$103k
New York	1,960	0.2	1.1×	$107k
Florida	1,640	0.2	0.9×	$94k
Michigan	1,220	0.3	1.5×	$106k
Indiana	1,190	0.4	2.0×	$107k
Illinois	1,160	0.2	1.0×	$104k
Pennsylvania	1,010	0.2	0.9×	$96k
Minnesota	970	0.3	1.7×	$94k
Massachusetts	880	0.2	1.3×	$100k

All 50 states and DC

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
Alabama	790	0.4	2.0×	$107k
Ohio	730	0.1	0.7×	$104k
Kentucky	690	0.3	1.8×	$93k
South Carolina	680	0.3	1.6×	$80k
Missouri	664 (estimated)	0.2 (estimated)	1.2× (estimated)	$102k
Alaska	650	2.0	10.6×	$89k
Georgia	590	0.1	0.6×	$108k
Virginia	590	0.1	0.8×	$74k
Kansas	520	0.4	1.9×	$80k
Oklahoma	520	0.3	1.6×	$89k
Tennessee	490	0.1	0.8×	$116k
Iowa	470	0.3	1.6×	$101k
Mississippi	450	0.4	2.0×	$102k
Washington	430	0.1	0.6×	$132k
North Carolina	420	0.1	0.5×	$108k
Utah	420	0.2	1.3×	$107k
Wisconsin	420	0.1	0.8×	$66k
Arizona	390	0.1	0.6×	$85k
Louisiana	370	0.2	1.0×	$101k
Nebraska	360	0.4	1.9×	$98k
Maryland	330	0.1	0.6×	$111k
Idaho	310	0.4	1.9×	$124k
New Jersey	300	0.1	0.4×	$131k
Hawaii	290	0.5	2.5×	$122k
Colorado	250	0.1	0.5×	$103k
Connecticut	250	0.1	0.8×	$97k
Nevada	250	0.2	0.8×	$131k
Oregon	250	0.1	0.7×	$110k
Wyoming	230	0.8	4.3×	$99k
Arkansas	220	0.2	0.9×	$98k
Maine	190	0.3	1.6×	$81k
West Virginia	170	0.2	1.3×	$97k
North Dakota	150	0.3	1.9×	$122k
Vermont	140	0.5	2.4×	$78k
Montana	130	0.3	1.4×	$106k
New Mexico	130	0.1	0.8×	$106k
South Dakota	107 (estimated)	0.2 (estimated)	1.2× (estimated)	$100k (estimated)
New Hampshire	90	0.1	0.7×	$81k
Delaware	80	0.2	0.9×	$103k
Rhode Island	50	0.1	0.5×	$98k
Washington DC	17 (estimated)	0.0 (estimated)	0.1× (estimated)	$130k (estimated)

Top metro areas

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ1,090 jobs · $132k median
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH640 jobs · $104k median
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN640 jobs · $124k median
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA540 jobs · $106k median
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX530 jobs · $105k median
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI470 jobs · $99k median
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL380 jobs · $62k median
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD310 jobs · $101k median

Where this ranks

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Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.