SOC 51-8013 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Power Plant Operators — Missouri
Missouri · 2 metro areas compared
At $101,900, median pay for Power Plant Operators in Missouri tracks the national median of $102,040 closely.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -11.2%
- Openings per year
- 2,500
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Missouri.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
At $101,900, median pay for Power Plant Operators in Missouri tracks the national median of $102,040 closely. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $74,920 and $110,420. The lowest tenth earn under $60,120, while the highest tenth earn more than $128,430.
Among the 49 states with published data for this occupation, Missouri ranks 26th by median wage. Kansas City leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $110,410. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 78th of 733 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $60,120 | −41.1% |
| 25th | $74,920 | −26.6% |
| Median (50th) | $101,900 | −0.1% |
| 75th | $110,420 | +8.2% |
| 90th | $128,430 | +25.9% |
| Mean | $93,560 | −8.3% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Missouri
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City | $110,410 | 230 | |
| 2 | St. Louis | $101,820 | — |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Missouri run 9.2% below the national average, so the median of $101,900 goes as far as $112,225 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 10.0% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$101,900as reported by BLSLocal price level
90.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$112,225US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $101,900 a year, 0.1% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $60,120 to $128,430 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- It ranks 26th of 49 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Kansas City, at $110,410.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Power Plant Operators in Missouri?
The median annual wage is $101,900, or $48.99 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $102,040, so pay in Missouri is 0.1% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Missouri earns more than $128,430 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $60,120 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Kansas City, at $110,410 per year.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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