occupation · 51-8000 · minor
Plant and System Operators — wages and employment
Plant and System Operators earned a median annual wage of $70,740 in the United States in May 2024, with 287,720 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Plant and System Operators earned a median annual wage of $70,740 in the United States in May 2024, with 287,720 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $42,950 or less, the best-paid tenth $112,070 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $67,100 to $70,740, +5.4 %. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 287,720 | $70,740 | $75,480 | $42,950 | $52,290 | $97,400 | $112,070 | $34.01 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 283,480 | $67,100 | $72,810 | $39,540 | $49,830 | $94,940 | $108,830 | $32.26 | evidence → |
Occupations in this group
9 detailed occupations, largest first.
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators 51-8031 · median $58,260 · 126,750 jobs
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers 51-8093 · median $97,540 · 34,860 jobs
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators 51-8021 · median $75,190 · 30,780 jobs
- Power Plant Operators 51-8013 · median $99,670 · 30,720 jobs
- Chemical Plant and System Operators 51-8091 · median $73,540 · 17,840 jobs
- Plant and System Operators, All Other 51-8099 · median $61,710 · 15,950 jobs
- Gas Plant Operators 51-8092 · median $83,400 · 15,910 jobs
- Power Distributors and Dispatchers 51-8012 · median $107,240 · 9,180 jobs
- Nuclear Power Reactor Operators 51-8011 · median $122,610 · 5,720 jobs
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