Power Plant Operators
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Overview
Control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Includes auxiliary equipment operators.
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Titles for this career often contain these words
OperatorTechnicianPlantHydroelectricPowerGasOperationsHydroMechanicMaintenanceLandfillSystemControlStationBiomassCarbonEngineerGenerationAuxiliaryTenderBoosterChillerFuelSystemsGeneratingPowerhouseTurbineEquipmentCaptureSequestrationHeatingInstrumentationRoomElectricQualityTechWorkerElectricianProductionHydrogenMethaneSpecialistAttendantRectifierSteamTurboUtilityAsphaltBatchBoilerPumpCentralCentrifugalCoalGasificationCogenerationCommunicationsCenterHandlerGeneratorHighPressureFirerMachineryInstallationOperationICEControlsElectricalInstrumentCollectingCollectionFieldMonitorMulticraftMCONaturalOutsidePilotProcessGeneralistReliefThermochemicalConversionTravelingUnitOperativeWellfield
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Responsibilities and activities

Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers typically do the following:

  • Control power-generating equipment, which may use any one type of fuel, such as coal, nuclear power, or natural gas
  • Read charts, meters, and gauges to monitor voltage and electricity flows
  • Check equipment and indicators to detect evidence of operating problems
  • Adjust controls to regulate the flow of power
  • Start or stop generators, turbines, and other equipment as necessary

Electricity is one of our nation’s most vital resources. Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers control power plants and the flow of electricity from plants to substations, which distribute electricity to businesses, homes, and factories. Electricity is generated from many sources, including coal, gas, nuclear energy, hydroelectric energy (from water sources), wind, and solar power.

Nuclear power reactor operators control nuclear reactors. They adjust control rods, which affect how much electricity a reactor generates. They monitor reactors, turbines, generators, and cooling systems, adjusting controls as necessary. Operators start and stop equipment and record the data produced. They also respond to abnormalities, determine the causes, and take corrective action.

Power distributors and dispatchers, also known as systems operators, control the flow of electricity as it travels from generating stations to substations and users. In exercising such control, they monitor and operate current converters, voltage transformers, and circuit breakers over a network of transmission and distribution lines. They prepare and issue switching orders to route electrical currents around areas that need maintenance or repair. They detect and respond to emergencies, such as transformer or transmission line failures, which can cause cascading power outages over the network. They may work with plant operators to troubleshoot electricity generation issues.

Power plant operators control, operate, and maintain machinery to generate electricity. They use control boards to distribute power among generators and regulate the output of several generators. They monitor instruments to maintain voltage and electricity flows from the plant to meet fluctuating consumer demand throughout the day.

Salary
Median salary: $84,650 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $65,300 and $99,890.
$85K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K$120K
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
$83K$94K$87K$97K$75K$101K$89K$94K$50K$0$50K$100K$150K$200K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
Number employed
02K4K6K8K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
About Power Plant Operators
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of power plant operators who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
  • Hazardous Conditions (90%)
  • Responsible for Others' Health (86%)
  • Exposed to Contaminants (82%)
  • Consequence of Error (81%)
  • Hazardous Equipment (79%)
  • High Places (73%)
  • Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites (61%)
  • Time Pressure (55%)
  • High Conflict Frequency (33%)
SOURCES:
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Power Plant Operators? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Concentration skills
Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers must be careful, attentive, and persistent. They must be able to concentrate on a task, such as monitoring the temperature of reactors over a certain length of time, without being distracted.
Detail oriented
Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers must monitor complex controls and intricate machinery to ensure that everything is operating properly.
Dexterit
y. Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers must use precise and repeated motions when working in a control room.
Mechanical skills
Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers must know how to work with machines and use tools. They must be familiar with how to operate, repair, and maintain equipment.
Problem-solving skills
Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers must find and quickly solve problems that arise with equipment or controls.
Injury and Illness
About 43 power plant operators become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, making this job more dangerous than 65% of other careers. The most common specific illnesses or injuries are detailed following.
Heat (thermal) burns
Soreness and pain
Sprains, strains, tears
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by power plant operators
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), power plant operators typically hold a high school diploma or equivalent.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for power plant operators

Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers typically need at least a high school diploma or equivalent. However, employers may prefer workers who have a college or vocational school degree.

Employers generally look for people with strong math and science backgrounds for these highly technical jobs. Understanding electricity and math, especially algebra and trigonometry, is important.

Details: Licensing and certification recommended for power plant operators

Nuclear power reactor operators must be licensed through the NRC. They typically begin working in nuclear power plants as unlicensed operators, where they gain the required knowledge and experience to start the licensing process. To become licensed, operators must meet training and experience requirements, pass a medical exam, and pass the NRC licensing exam. To keep their license, operators must pass a plant-operating exam each year, pass a medical exam every 2 years, and apply for renewal of their license every 6 years. Licenses cannot be transferred between plants, so an operator must get a new license to work in another facility.

Power plant operators who do not work at a nuclear power reactor may be licensed as engineers or firefighters by state licensing boards. Requirements vary by state and depend on the specific job functions that the operator performs.

Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers who are in positions which could affect the power grid may need to be certified through the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s System Operator Certification Program. 

Education level of Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers
Only 19% of power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
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Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers per 1,000 workers (ACS)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most power plant operators? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as power plant operators. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where power plant operators earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
  • In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
  • Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers.
We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers (ACS for all specialties)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
Employment
1% of Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 1% part-time workers, this occupation has a lower percentage of part-time workers than 99% of careers.
1%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
$90K$75K$92K$84K$80K$88K$0$50,000$100,000$150,000$200,000Working without payState governmentLocal governmentPrivate not-for-profitPrivate for-profitAll
Gender
Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers and gender
With 7% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 84% of careers.
Gender of Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers
Men (93%)
Women (7%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
$74K$92K$0$100K$200K$300KWomenMen
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
7%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Context: Salary inequity
The median (middle) salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%, and the difference for power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers tops that, with the median salary for men 25% higher than the median salary for women.
25%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers.
Race/origin of power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers
White (86% )
Black (7% )
Multiracial (2% )
Other (2% )
American Indian (1% )
Asian (1% )
Hispanic (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
$81K$90K$92K$94K$0$50K$100K$150KBlackMultiracialWhiteAsian
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.