Power Plant Operators Salary
The median pay for a power plant operators in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $104,620/year ($50.3/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $54K at the entry level to $125K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $106,073 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,573/month, or 22.5% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $105K 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 power plant operators
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Power plant operators pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands tracks closely to the national median, $105K locally vs. $102K nationwide, a 3% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,573/month, 23% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for power plant operators in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $107K | $104K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $111K | $117K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $85K | $87K |
| Longview | $100K | $112K |
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 power plant operators (10th percentile) start around $54K. Mid-career wages sit at $105K. Top earners bring in $125K or more, a $71K spread from bottom to top.
Power Plant Operators pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Power Plant Operators salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $132K | +29% | 430 |
| Nevada | $131K | +29% | 250 |
| New Jersey | $131K | +29% | 300 |
| Idaho | $124K | +22% | 310 |
| North Dakota | $122K | +20% | 150 |
| Hawaii | $122K | +19% | 290 |
| Tennessee | $116K | +14% | 490 |
| Maryland | $111K | +9% | 330 |
| Oregon | $110K | +8% | 250 |
| North Carolina | $108K | +6% | 420 |
| Georgia | $108K | +5% | 590 |
| Utah | $107K | +5% | 420 |
| Alabama | $107K | +5% | 790 |
| Indiana | $107K | +5% | 1,190 |
| New York | $107K | +5% | 1,960 |
| Montana | $106K | +4% | 130 |
| Michigan | $106K | +4% | 1,220 |
| New Mexico | $106K | +3% | 130 |
| California | $105K | +3% | 2,610 |
| Illinois | $104K | +2% | 1,160 |
| Ohio | $104K | +2% | 730 |
| Delaware | $103K | +1% | 80 |
| Colorado | $103K | +1% | 250 |
| Texas | $103K | +0% | 2,100 |
| Mississippi | $102K | +0% | 450 |
| Missouri | $102K | -0% | N/A |
| Louisiana | $101K | -1% | 370 |
| Iowa | $101K | -2% | 470 |
| Massachusetts | $100K | -2% | 880 |
| Wyoming | $99K | -3% | 230 |
| Nebraska | $98K | -4% | 360 |
| Rhode Island | $98K | -4% | 50 |
| Arkansas | $98K | -4% | 220 |
| Connecticut | $97K | -4% | 250 |
| West Virginia | $97K | -5% | 170 |
| Pennsylvania | $96K | -6% | 1,010 |
| Minnesota | $94K | -7% | 970 |
| Florida | $94K | -8% | 1,640 |
| Kentucky | $93K | -8% | 690 |
| Alaska | $89K | -13% | 650 |
| Oklahoma | $89K | -13% | 520 |
| Arizona | $85K | -17% | 390 |
| New Hampshire | $81K | -21% | 90 |
| Maine | $81K | -21% | 190 |
| Kansas | $80K | -22% | 520 |
| South Carolina | $80K | -22% | 680 |
| Vermont | $78K | -23% | 140 |
| Virginia | $74K | -28% | 590 |
| Wisconsin | $66K | -35% | 420 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track power plant operators salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
Related careers in Production & Manufacturing
Frequently asked questions
Can a power plant operator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Yes — at the median salary of $105K, rent takes 23% 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 power plant operators in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new power plant operators typically earn — is $54K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,221/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 49% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is power plant operator a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $105K locally vs. $102K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for power plant operators?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $105K median vs. the U.S. average of $102K — that’s +3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $106K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do power plant operators make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $104,620 a year, that works out to about $50 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $53,680, and experienced power plant operators can clear $125,030. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $105K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,832/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 23% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a power 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 power plant operators salary is worth about $106,073 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do power 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.