SOC 51-8013 · Production Occupations · May 2025

How much do Power Plant Operators make in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Power Plant Operators in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN is $109,820. The 10th percentile is $68,970 and the 90th percentile is $122,110. Employment is 220.

Median annual wage

$109,820

10th percentile
$68,970
25th percentile
$77,350
Median
$109,820
75th percentile
$110,280
90th percentile
$122,110
Mean
$99,790

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder at work with a torch
A welder at a bench, 2014. Photograph by Chetan Menaria. Wikimedia Commons · CC0

Percentile spread

For Power Plant Operators, the published 10th percentile is $68,970 and the 90th percentile is $122,110. The difference is $53,140, which is 48.4% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $77,350 to the 75th at $110,280, covers $32,930.

The mean annual wage is $99,790, which sits below the median of $109,820. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN median is 7.6% higher than the national median of $102,040 for Power Plant Operators. In 2024 national prices the local median is $115,152, which is 12.8% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 5.4% higher than the Ohio median of $104,160.

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Ohio, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN is 95.370, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $109,820 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Power Plant Operators at $115,152 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

7 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Power Plant Operators. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN ranks 2nd of 8 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Lexington-Fayette, KY is 67 miles away, with a median of $84,150 and employment of 30. That median is 23.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $90,592, against $115,152 here.
  • Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is 89 miles away, with a median of $104,120 and employment of 120. That median is 5.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $111,868, against $115,152 here.
  • Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN is 101 miles away, with a median of $109,090 and employment of 100. That median is 0.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $113,996, against $115,152 here.

Employment share

Power Plant Operators accounts for 0.02% of wage-and-salary employment in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN (220 of 1,101,030). Nationally the occupation is 0.02% of employment (29,320 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.06 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN · Power Plant Operators by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Power Plant Operators make in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Power Plant Operators in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN is $109,820. The 10th percentile is $68,970 and the 90th percentile is $122,110. Employment is 220.

How does that compare with the national median for Power Plant Operators?

The local median is 7.6% higher than the national median of $102,040.

What is Power Plant Operators pay in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN is 95.370, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $109,820 is $115,152. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN compare with nearby metros for Power Plant Operators?

Lexington-Fayette, KY is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 67 miles away, at $84,150. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN ranks 2nd of 8 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.