Power Plant Operators: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Production · SOC 51-8013 · O*NET 51-8013.00
Control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Includes auxiliary equipment operators.
Power Plant Operators fall under the Production category in the U.S. occupational classification. Power Plant Operators earn a median salary of $99,670 per year, ranking in the top 14% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -11.2% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do power plant operators earn?
The median annual wage for power plant operators is $99,670. That puts power plant operators at #112 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $59,930 |
| 25th percentile | $77,400 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $99,670 |
| 75th percentile | $111,980 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $128,760 |
| Median hourly wage | $47.92/hr |
Is power plant operators a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for power plant operators is -11.2%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 31K positions in 2024 to 28K in 2034, a net change of -3K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do power plant operators do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working power plant operators, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels.
- 2.Take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals.
- 3.Control power generating equipment, including boilers, turbines, generators, or reactors, using control boards or semi-automatic equipment.
- 4.Start or stop generators, auxiliary pumping equipment, turbines, or other power plant equipment as necessary.
- 5.Monitor power plant equipment and indicators to detect evidence of operating problems.
- 6.Operate or maintain distributed power generation equipment, including fuel cells or microturbines, to produce energy on-site for manufacturing or other commercial purposes.
- 7.Open and close valves and switches in sequence to start or shut down auxiliary units.
- 8.Control or maintain auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, fans, compressors, condensers, feedwater heaters, filters, or chlorinators, to supply water, fuel, lubricants, air, or auxiliary power.
Top skills for power plant operators
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become power plant operator?
Power Plant Operators typically enter the field through a formal apprenticeship, technical certification, or vocational training program — a strong fit for teens who prefer hands-on learning over traditional college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
- Nuclear Power Reactor Operators$122,610 median
- Power Distributors and Dispatchers$107,240 median
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers$97,540 median
- Gas Plant Operators$83,400 median
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$75,190 median
- Chemical Plant and System Operators$73,540 median
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about power plant operators
What is the median salary for power plant operators?
The median annual salary for power plant operators is $99,670 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is power plant operators a growing career?
BLS projects -11.2% growth for power plant operators from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become power plant operator?
The typical entry path requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to power plant operators?
Related occupations within the Production category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.