Best Cities for Power Plant Operatorss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where power plant operatorss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.35	$132,030	$137,818	14%
2	NevadaState	1.29	$131,400	$131,138	13%
3	North DakotaState	1.29	$122,160	$131,922	10%
4	IdahoState	1.26	$124,440	$128,953	12%
5	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.25	$137,030	$127,115	16%
6	TennesseeState	1.24	$115,920	$126,689	13%
7	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	1.21	$119,380	$123,326	16%
8	AlabamaState	1.20	$107,080	$122,939	11%
9	WashingtonState	1.20	$131,620	$122,665	17%
10	MississippiState	1.18	$102,400	$120,755	10%
11	New JerseyState	1.18	$131,370	$120,744	16%
12	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	1.18	$110,950	$120,598	14%
13	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	1.17	$110,410	$118,976	14%
14	IndianaState	1.16	$107,000	$118,232	12%
15	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.16	$108,050	$118,476	14%
16	Columbus, OHMetro	1.15	$110,030	$117,679	14%
17	GeorgiaState	1.13	$107,580	$115,182	16%
18	MissouriState	1.13	$101,900	$115,011	12%
19	OhioState	1.13	$104,160	$115,221	12%
20	West VirginiaState	1.13	$97,210	$115,451	10%
21	MichiganState	1.12	$105,820	$114,648	13%
22	New MexicoState	1.12	$105,510	$114,685	12%
23	North CarolinaState	1.12	$108,300	$114,725	14%
24	ArkansasState	1.11	$97,760	$113,279	11%
25	IowaState	1.10	$100,500	$112,668	11%
26	LouisianaState	1.10	$101,170	$112,286	12%
27	HawaiiState	1.08	$121,700	$110,636	24%
28	MontanaState	1.08	$106,040	$110,000	13%
29	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	1.08	$106,720	$109,794	18%
30	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	1.07	$105,370	$109,532	18%
31	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.07	$124,950	$109,318	21%
32	IllinoisState	1.05	$104,440	$107,228	15%
33	NebraskaState	1.05	$98,210	$107,333	13%
34	TexasState	1.05	$102,510	$107,228	16%
35	UtahState	1.05	$107,120	$106,906	17%
36	WyomingState	1.05	$99,200	$106,667	12%
37	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	1.05	$105,740	$107,350	20%
38	OregonState	1.04	$109,830	$106,631	17%
39	KentuckyState	1.03	$93,400	$105,537	12%
40	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	1.03	$111,260	$105,161	18%
41	DelawareState	1.00	$103,010	$101,990	16%
42	MarylandState	1.00	$111,260	$101,886	18%
43	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	0.99	$93,870	$101,481	15%
44	OklahomaState	0.98	$88,590	$100,102	13%
45	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	0.98	$99,000	$99,497	18%
46	PennsylvaniaState	0.97	$95,800	$98,763	16%
47	ColoradoState	0.96	$102,780	$97,514	22%
48	Rhode IslandState	0.96	$98,050	$97,562	18%
49	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	0.96	$101,350	$97,923	19%
50	MinnesotaState	0.94	$94,390	$96,316	16%
51	CaliforniaState	0.93	$105,210	$95,041	26%
52	New YorkState	0.93	$106,990	$95,102	21%
53	FloridaState	0.91	$94,290	$92,897	22%
54	MassachusettsState	0.90	$100,140	$92,295	27%
55	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	0.90	$103,900	$91,542	30%
56	ConnecticutState	0.89	$97,460	$90,576	19%
57	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	0.89	$105,870	$90,876	26%
58	KansasState	0.87	$79,980	$88,867	16%
59	South CarolinaState	0.85	$79,900	$86,848	19%
60	AlaskaState	0.84	$88,870	$85,206	18%
61	ArizonaState	0.83	$84,970	$84,212	21%
62	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	0.81	$98,950	$82,321	38%
63	MaineState	0.80	$81,060	$81,222	19%
64	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	0.80	$92,320	$81,844	26%
65	New HampshireState	0.75	$81,070	$76,481	23%
66	VermontState	0.75	$78,240	$76,332	22%
67	VirginiaState	0.70	$73,640	$71,150	26%
68	WisconsinState	0.70	$66,080	$71,593	20%
69	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.56	$62,080	$57,217	39%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).