Power Plant Operators in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$73,284
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$22,516
23.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$75,163
Pennsylvania costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Pennsylvania — 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
$95,800
Kept after tax
$73,284
Worth in national money
$75,163
State rank
36
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. Pennsylvania pays power plant operators a middle wage of $95,800, 36 of 49 states and about 6.12% below the national middle. Hold that thought until the adjusted numbers.
- Within Pennsylvania this is well-paid work. Of 492 occupations with published figures in the state, power plant operators ranks 78 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- No great distortion either way. Pennsylvania costs about what the country costs, so from $95,800, take-home of $73,284 is worth roughly $75,163 in national money. The average comes to $96,280, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Pennsylvania's $95,800 median for power plant operators places it 36 of 49 states, about 6.12% below national. Because both the tax and price adjustments tend to favor lower-nominal states, this ranking is the least stable of the three reported here.
- Ranked against every occupation Pennsylvania publishes a median for, power plant operators sits 78 of 492 — the upper quartile of the state's wage distribution. National standing and within-state standing are separate questions, and a job can occupy very different positions on each.
- Price parity in Pennsylvania is near the national base, so for power plant operators, whose median is $95,800, the adjusted figure of $75,163 differs little from $73,284 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $96,280 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Power Plant Operators
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $64,010 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $95,800 |
| Top tenth earn over | $128,180 |
| This salary | $95,800 |
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 Pennsylvania | $73,284 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $76,225 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$3,278 |
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 | $91,619 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$4,528 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $95,800 as a midpoint for Pennsylvania, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $64,010 and the ninetieth is $128,180 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Pennsylvania the take-home figure of $73,284, from $95,800, 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 78 of 492 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $75,163 uses one figure for the whole of Pennsylvania. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 78.
- The Pennsylvania median of $95,800 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $64,010 to $128,180. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Pennsylvania is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $73,284 from $95,800. 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 78 of 492 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $75,163, worked from $95,800, 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 Pennsylvania address, on work sitting at 78 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $64,010 and the top tenth $128,180, so most people doing this work in Pennsylvania sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Pennsylvania sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $75,163 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Pennsylvania then takes its own share, leaving $73,284.
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 ($64,010 to $128,180) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Pennsylvania rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Pennsylvania'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 $75,163 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 $73,284 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Pennsylvania 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.