Power Plant Operators in Nebraska
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$74,156
after federal, FICA and Nebraska tax
Tax takes
$24,054
24.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$82,052
Nebraska costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Nebraska — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$98,210
Kept after tax
$74,156
Worth in national money
$82,052
State rank
31
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Nebraska sits in the middle of the pack for power plant operators. The median is $98,210, ranking 31 of 49 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in Nebraska. It ranks 50 out of 488 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- Here is where Nebraska does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $98,210 you keep $74,156, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $82,052 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $97,900, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Nebraska occupies the middle band for power plant operators: a median of $98,210, ranking 31 of 49. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Within Nebraska, power plant operators ranks 50 of 488 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- After federal, FICA and Nebraska income tax, retained pay for power plant operators on $98,210 is $74,156. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $82,052 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $97,900 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Power Plant Operators
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $65,850 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $98,210 |
| Top tenth earn over | $125,570 |
| This salary | $98,210 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Nebraska | $74,156 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $77,921 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,866 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $92,858 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,578 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Nebraska earn less than $98,210. The published range is $65,850 up to $125,570, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Nebraska the take-home figure of $74,156, from $98,210, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 50 of 488 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $82,052 uses one figure for the whole of Nebraska. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 488 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 50.
- Reported values are medians; for power plant operators in Nebraska the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $65,850 to $125,570. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Nebraska is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $74,156 from $98,210. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 50 of 488 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $82,052, worked from $98,210, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Nebraska address, on work sitting at 50 of 488 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $65,850 and the top tenth $125,570, so most people doing this work in Nebraska sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Nebraska sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $82,052 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Nebraska adds its own income tax on top — which is why $74,156 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 49 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($65,850 to $125,570) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Nebraska rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Nebraska's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $82,052 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $74,156 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Nebraska income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.