Gas Plant Operators Salary
The median pay for a gas plant operators in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $85,530/year ($41.12/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $70K at the entry level to $101K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $86,718 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,573/month, or 27.5% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $86K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About gas plant operators
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Gas plant operators pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands tracks closely to the national median, $86K locally vs. $88K nationwide, a 3% difference. Rent runs $1,573/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 27.5% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for gas plant operators in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $81K | $79K |
| Midland | $80K | $83K |
| College Station-Bryan | $80K | $88K |
| Tulsa | $79K | $88K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level gas plant operators (10th percentile) start around $70K. Mid-career wages sit at $86K. Top earners bring in $101K or more, a $30K spread from bottom to top.
Gas Plant Operators pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Gas Plant Operators salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $130K | +48% | 800 |
| New Jersey | $111K | +26% | 190 |
| Oregon | $110K | +25% | 70 |
| Connecticut | $109K | +24% | N/A |
| Louisiana | $108K | +23% | 800 |
| Arizona | $105K | +19% | 140 |
| Massachusetts | $104K | +18% | 340 |
| Maryland | $103K | +17% | 180 |
| South Dakota | $101K | +16% | 90 |
| Arkansas | $101K | +15% | 400 |
| Minnesota | $101K | +14% | 360 |
| Michigan | $101K | +14% | 540 |
| New York | $98K | +12% | 240 |
| Utah | $98K | +12% | 160 |
| Colorado | $98K | +12% | 570 |
| Illinois | $98K | +11% | 530 |
| New Mexico | $98K | +11% | 300 |
| North Dakota | $97K | +10% | 770 |
| Maine | $94K | +7% | 30 |
| Iowa | $93K | +6% | 480 |
| Missouri | $88K | +0% | 220 |
| Nebraska | $88K | -0% | 270 |
| Virginia | $87K | -2% | 400 |
| Indiana | $86K | -2% | 280 |
| Wisconsin | $85K | -3% | 150 |
| Washington | $84K | -5% | 120 |
| Montana | $84K | -5% | 70 |
| West Virginia | $83K | -6% | 420 |
| Ohio | $82K | -6% | 570 |
| Mississippi | $82K | -7% | 340 |
| Wyoming | $82K | -7% | 480 |
| North Carolina | $81K | -7% | 320 |
| Georgia | $81K | -8% | 110 |
| Pennsylvania | $81K | -8% | 1,370 |
| Kansas | $81K | -8% | 350 |
| Texas | $80K | -9% | 2,550 |
| Idaho | $79K | -10% | 50 |
| Oklahoma | $78K | -11% | 970 |
| Alabama | $77K | -12% | N/A |
| South Carolina | $68K | -23% | 280 |
| Florida | $67K | -24% | 130 |
| Tennessee | $67K | -24% | 200 |
| Kentucky | $63K | -28% | 200 |
Showing 1–10 of 43 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track gas plant operators salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a gas plant operator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Yes — at the median salary of $86K, rent takes 27.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for gas plant operators in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new gas plant operators typically earn — is $70K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,222/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 37% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is gas plant operator a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $86K locally vs. $88K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for gas plant operators?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $86K median vs. the U.S. average of $88K — that’s -3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $87K — below the national median.
How much do gas plant operators make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $85,530 a year, that works out to about $41 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $70,370, and experienced gas plant operators can clear $100,660. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $86K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,713/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 27.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a gas plant operators salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median gas plant operators salary is worth about $86,718 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do gas plant operators get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.