Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Median $122,890
Occupation · SOC 51-8021
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What stationary engineers and boiler operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$78,620 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $83,960
- Median hourly wage
- $37.80
- Mean hourly wage
- $40.37
- Employment
- 28,250
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-8021.
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See where your pay falls among stationary engineers and boiler operators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do stationary engineers and boiler operators make?
The median annual wage for stationary engineers and boiler operators was $78,620 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $50,590 and the highest-paid 10% more than $125,390. As an hourly rate, the median is $37.80. About 28,250 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Illinois ($115,780), Wyoming ($111,920) and Hawaii ($103,400). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Wyoming.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for stationary engineers and boiler operators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,590 | $24.32 | $4,216 | $3,569 |
| 25th percentile | $63,160 | $30.37 | $5,263 | $4,411 |
| Median | $78,620 | $37.80 | $6,552 | $5,345 |
| 75th percentile | $101,150 | $48.63 | $8,429 | $6,666 |
| 90th percentile | $125,390 | $60.28 | $10,449 | $8,081 |
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$94,471 take-home in national prices
2
$84,730 take-home in national prices
3
$69,070 take-home in national prices
Where a median stationary engineers and boiler operator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 1,680 | $115,780 | $72,270 | $125,260 | $84,695 | $84,730 |
| Wyoming | 100 | $111,920 | $62,940 | $116,180 | $87,566 | $94,471 |
| Hawaii | 70 | $103,400 | $57,720 | $112,660 | $75,127 | $68,328 |
| Connecticut | 270 | $94,870 | $67,520 | $109,680 | $70,629 | $68,168 |
| New York | 4,480 | $94,070 | $61,290 | $151,730 | $70,061 | $64,919 |
| Washington | 520 | $91,530 | $67,220 | $128,250 | $71,952 | $67,236 |
| California | 5,840 | $90,650 | $48,610 | $132,730 | $67,238 | $60,728 |
| District of Columbia | 620 | $90,470 | $62,710 | $108,600 | $67,754 | $61,650 |
| Alaska | 90 | $88,330 | $61,140 | $117,740 | $70,699 | $69,070 |
| Maryland | 850 | $85,240 | $57,190 | $107,890 | $65,113 | $62,037 |
| Michigan | 490 | $82,800 | $54,510 | $92,630 | $63,812 | $66,320 |
| Colorado | 560 | $81,310 | $46,670 | $99,550 | $62,805 | $60,945 |
| Massachusetts | 530 | $80,800 | $64,540 | $100,710 | $61,481 | $58,134 |
| Nevada | 60 | $79,110 | $76,510 | $129,400 | $64,484 | $64,497 |
| Montana | 110 | $77,690 | $50,410 | $108,210 | $60,456 | $63,877 |
| Delaware | 40 | $77,630 | $71,700 | $89,920 | $59,350 | $59,464 |
| New Jersey | 1,400 | $76,560 | $54,170 | $106,490 | $59,491 | $54,677 |
| Utah | 110 | $76,490 | $65,270 | $114,600 | $59,445 | $60,128 |
| Minnesota | 1,440 | $75,850 | $61,620 | $98,610 | $58,222 | $59,036 |
| Ohio | 760 | $75,470 | $59,130 | $87,890 | $60,291 | $64,987 |
| Arizona | 80 | $75,410 | $57,440 | $124,490 | $60,389 | $59,983 |
| New Mexico | 100 | $74,480 | $39,520 | $116,160 | $58,892 | $63,866 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,730 | $72,900 | $48,140 | $89,000 | $57,826 | $59,265 |
| South Carolina | 170 | $72,650 | $53,330 | $89,240 | $57,438 | $61,268 |
| Missouri | 380 | $72,620 | $49,920 | $85,070 | $57,442 | $63,251 |
| Tennessee | 370 | $72,470 | $34,360 | $93,500 | $59,813 | $65,106 |
| Georgia | 240 | $70,640 | $53,290 | $92,310 | $55,749 | $57,895 |
| Oklahoma | 180 | $68,450 | $45,330 | $95,830 | $54,450 | $61,985 |
| Vermont | 70 | $68,400 | $44,620 | $77,870 | $54,939 | $56,084 |
| South Dakota | 90 | $68,090 | $43,310 | $75,770 | $56,731 | $64,041 |
| Oregon | 330 | $67,630 | $47,780 | $100,220 | $51,450 | $49,777 |
| Indiana | 290 | $67,560 | $48,730 | $94,080 | $54,395 | $58,283 |
| Iowa | 190 | $67,450 | $49,760 | $76,380 | $54,370 | $61,951 |
| Kentucky | 90 | $66,770 | $28,890 | $88,900 | $53,583 | $59,432 |
| North Dakota | 140 | $66,760 | $48,270 | $108,460 | $55,753 | $62,673 |
| New Hampshire | 60 | $66,180 | $53,490 | $85,280 | $55,356 | $53,142 |
| Florida | 170 | $65,040 | $46,930 | $83,080 | $54,440 | $52,642 |
| Nebraska | 290 | $64,930 | $46,470 | $86,400 | $52,276 | $58,019 |
| Kansas | 120 | $64,490 | $50,230 | $90,730 | $51,199 | $56,845 |
| Idaho | 120 | $64,460 | $53,950 | $80,870 | $51,666 | $54,103 |
| Virginia | 350 | $64,150 | $36,510 | $94,640 | $50,850 | $50,295 |
| Texas | 890 | $63,810 | $48,250 | $90,190 | $53,451 | $55,072 |
| Rhode Island | 60 | $63,330 | $53,280 | $86,740 | $50,611 | $49,483 |
| Maine | 290 | $62,910 | $49,360 | $78,880 | $49,845 | $51,360 |
| Wisconsin | 270 | $61,170 | $51,040 | $78,120 | $49,203 | $52,291 |
| North Carolina | 220 | $60,860 | $37,050 | $79,450 | $49,161 | $52,119 |
| Arkansas | 200 | $58,000 | $43,800 | $72,320 | $47,125 | $54,205 |
| Mississippi | 200 | $53,640 | $42,440 | $78,390 | $43,866 | $50,448 |
| Alabama | 220 | $53,470 | $38,160 | $78,560 | $42,921 | $48,322 |
| West Virginia | 40 | $53,340 | $49,120 | $56,420 | $43,454 | $48,553 |
| Puerto Rico | 70 | $51,320 | $31,680 | $77,400 | — | — |
| Louisiana | 290 | $47,750 | $39,710 | $87,560 | $39,501 | $44,782 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-8021. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.