Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Median $122,890
Occupation · SOC 51-8013
Power Plant Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What power plant operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$102,040 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $99,790
- Median hourly wage
- $49.06
- Mean hourly wage
- $47.97
- Employment
- 29,320
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-8013.
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How much do power plant operators make?
The median annual wage for power plant operators was $102,040 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $61,790 and the highest-paid 10% more than $131,940. As an hourly rate, the median is $49.06. About 29,320 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($131,620), Nevada ($131,400) and New Jersey ($131,370). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in North Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for power plant operators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $61,790 | $29.71 | $5,149 | $4,319 |
| 25th percentile | $79,690 | $38.31 | $6,641 | $5,408 |
| Median | $102,040 | $49.06 | $8,503 | $6,718 |
| 75th percentile | $119,080 | $57.25 | $9,923 | $7,717 |
| 90th percentile | $131,940 | $63.44 | $10,995 | $8,454 |
Power Plant Operators: pay by state
51 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$105,261 take-home in national prices
2
$101,099 take-home in national prices
3
$98,378 take-home in national prices
Where a median power plant operator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 430 | $131,620 | $85,390 | $168,610 | $99,402 | $92,888 |
| Nevada | 250 | $131,400 | $71,760 | $141,600 | $101,078 | $101,099 |
| New Jersey | 300 | $131,370 | $83,510 | $131,940 | $94,137 | $86,519 |
| Idaho | 310 | $124,440 | $68,960 | $137,670 | $90,834 | $95,120 |
| North Dakota | 150 | $122,160 | $104,300 | $134,280 | $93,639 | $105,261 |
| Hawaii | 290 | $121,700 | $103,430 | $134,770 | $86,610 | $78,772 |
| Tennessee | 490 | $115,920 | $68,060 | $125,690 | $90,380 | $98,378 |
| Maryland | 330 | $111,260 | $85,120 | $122,030 | $82,091 | $78,212 |
| Oregon | 250 | $109,830 | $76,740 | $145,110 | $77,166 | $74,656 |
| North Carolina | 420 | $108,300 | $62,580 | $132,040 | $81,207 | $86,091 |
| Georgia | 590 | $107,580 | $58,660 | $124,670 | $79,893 | $82,968 |
| Utah | 420 | $107,120 | $77,440 | $126,190 | $79,422 | $80,335 |
| Alabama | 790 | $107,080 | $76,250 | $123,520 | $79,783 | $89,823 |
| Indiana | 1,190 | $107,000 | $76,700 | $123,540 | $80,978 | $86,766 |
| New York | 1,960 | $106,990 | $64,580 | $142,310 | $78,382 | $72,629 |
| Montana | 130 | $106,040 | $62,840 | $120,560 | $78,799 | $83,257 |
| Michigan | 1,220 | $105,820 | $74,520 | $131,250 | $79,028 | $82,135 |
| New Mexico | 130 | $105,510 | $46,350 | $121,690 | $79,217 | $85,908 |
| California | 2,610 | $105,210 | $63,510 | $171,800 | $75,938 | $68,586 |
| Illinois | 1,160 | $104,440 | $77,330 | $128,040 | $77,279 | $77,311 |
| Ohio | 730 | $104,160 | $69,180 | $119,170 | $79,679 | $85,885 |
| Delaware | 80 | $103,010 | $85,750 | $128,330 | $75,428 | $75,573 |
| Colorado | 250 | $102,780 | $76,900 | $137,720 | $76,870 | $74,593 |
| Texas | 2,100 | $102,510 | $55,500 | $127,710 | $80,946 | $83,400 |
| Mississippi | 450 | $102,400 | $65,770 | $125,690 | $77,504 | $89,134 |
| Missouri | Not published | $101,900 | $60,120 | $128,430 | $76,665 | $84,417 |
| Louisiana | 370 | $101,170 | $62,410 | $123,910 | $77,354 | $87,696 |
| Iowa | 470 | $100,500 | $63,320 | $109,690 | $76,365 | $87,013 |
| Massachusetts | 880 | $100,140 | $68,150 | $130,850 | $74,031 | $70,001 |
| Wyoming | 230 | $99,200 | $82,650 | $119,380 | $78,617 | $84,816 |
| Nebraska | 360 | $98,210 | $65,850 | $125,570 | $74,332 | $82,496 |
| Rhode Island | 50 | $98,050 | $69,570 | $134,120 | $73,670 | $72,027 |
| Arkansas | 220 | $97,760 | $62,000 | $102,650 | $74,475 | $85,665 |
| Connecticut | 250 | $97,460 | $76,110 | $131,410 | $72,296 | $69,777 |
| West Virginia | 170 | $97,210 | $57,180 | $119,990 | $73,654 | $82,298 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,010 | $95,800 | $64,010 | $128,180 | $73,217 | $75,039 |
| Minnesota | 970 | $94,390 | $72,540 | $125,900 | $69,923 | $70,901 |
| Florida | 1,640 | $94,290 | $47,840 | $126,330 | $75,163 | $72,682 |
| Kentucky | 690 | $93,400 | $66,830 | $118,400 | $71,386 | $79,177 |
| Alaska | 650 | $88,870 | $43,260 | $135,690 | $71,079 | $69,441 |
| Oklahoma | 520 | $88,590 | $55,390 | $107,640 | $67,712 | $77,083 |
| Arizona | 390 | $84,970 | $57,560 | $118,910 | $66,876 | $66,426 |
| New Hampshire | 90 | $81,070 | $58,010 | $128,510 | $65,863 | $63,229 |
| Maine | 190 | $81,060 | $61,220 | $106,910 | $61,657 | $63,531 |
| Kansas | 520 | $79,980 | $46,580 | $129,990 | $61,433 | $68,207 |
| South Carolina | 680 | $79,900 | $58,880 | $100,200 | $62,057 | $66,195 |
| Vermont | 140 | $78,240 | $49,110 | $127,790 | $61,212 | $62,488 |
| Virginia | 590 | $73,640 | $47,190 | $102,770 | $57,216 | $56,591 |
| Puerto Rico | 210 | $70,640 | $41,070 | $77,790 | — | — |
| Wisconsin | 420 | $66,080 | $54,960 | $118,270 | $52,861 | $56,179 |
| Guam | 60 | $61,230 | $56,210 | $79,960 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-8013. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.