Power Plant Operators Salary — Lexington, Kentucky

The average Power Plant Operators in Lexington, Kentucky earns $83,100 a year.

$83,100 / year, mean
↓ 18.9% below national average 50th percentile in Kentucky

Lexington sits roughly in the middle of the pack for this role within Kentucky — neither a standout nor a laggard. That's noticeably below the national average for power plant operators, worth factoring into any relocation math. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This is a reasonably reliable estimate, though the underlying sample is moderate in size.

Percentile within Kentucky

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
30
Estimate confidence
RSE 6.7%
Cost of living 93 #127 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 1461 #33 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $327,671 #90 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $70,717 #103 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Lexington ranks #127 for cost of living and #90 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

Wenatchee $150,930 Sacramento $135,310 Seattle $132,410 Fresno $131,280 San Francisco $130,890 Portland $128,530 New York $123,810 Chicago $116,150 Stockton $113,020 Detroit $111,910 Lubbock $110,650 Baltimore $109,540 Lakeland $108,370 Tampa $106,810 Albany $106,050 Los Angeles $105,840 Port St. Lucie $105,520 Dallas $105,190 Kiryas Joel $104,940 Bay City $104,870 Indianapolis $104,760 Spokane $104,720 San Jose $104,340 Lansing $103,900 Philadelphia $103,780 Jacksonville $103,400 Longview $103,000 Springfield $101,380 Louisville $98,580 Terre Haute $98,180 El Paso $97,980 Longview $97,480 Buffalo $96,400 Bakersfield $96,390 San Antonio $95,970 San Diego $95,380 Austin $94,730 Pittsburgh $94,570 Huntington $94,310 Riverside $94,120 Houston $93,920 Syracuse $93,580 College Station $90,490 Orlando $89,760 Rochester $85,960 Lexington $83,100 Watertown $79,290 Gainesville $78,880 Pensacola $75,930 Miami $73,000 Glens Falls $67,360 Richmond $67,130 Virginia Beach $64,660
CityMean salaryvs. Lexington
Albany, New York$106,050+27.6%
Austin, Texas$94,730+14.0%
Bakersfield, California$96,390+16.0%
Baltimore, Maryland$109,540+31.8%
Bay City, Michigan$104,870+26.2%
Buffalo, New York$96,400+16.0%
Chicago, Illinois$116,150+39.8%
College Station, Texas$90,490+8.9%
Dallas, Texas$105,190+26.6%
Detroit, Michigan$111,910+34.7%
El Paso, Texas$97,980+17.9%
Fresno, California$131,280+58.0%
Gainesville, Florida$78,880-5.1%
Glens Falls, New York$67,360-18.9%
Houston, Texas$93,920+13.0%
Huntington, West Virginia$94,310+13.5%
Indianapolis, Indiana$104,760+26.1%
Jacksonville, Florida$103,400+24.4%
Kiryas Joel, New York$104,940+26.3%
Lakeland, Florida$108,370+30.4%
Lansing, Michigan$103,900+25.0%
Longview, Texas$103,000+23.9%
Longview, Washington$97,480+17.3%
Los Angeles, California$105,840+27.4%
Louisville, Kentucky$98,580+18.6%
Lubbock, Texas$110,650+33.2%
Miami, Florida$73,000-12.2%
New York, New York$123,810+49.0%
Orlando, Florida$89,760+8.0%
Pensacola, Florida$75,930-8.6%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$103,780+24.9%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$94,570+13.8%
Portland, Oregon$128,530+54.7%
Port St. Lucie, Florida$105,520+27.0%
Richmond, Virginia$67,130-19.2%
Riverside, California$94,120+13.3%
Rochester, New York$85,960+3.4%
Sacramento, California$135,310+62.8%
San Antonio, Texas$95,970+15.5%
San Diego, California$95,380+14.8%
San Francisco, California$130,890+57.5%
San Jose, California$104,340+25.6%
Seattle, Washington$132,410+59.3%
Spokane, Washington$104,720+26.0%
Springfield, Illinois$101,380+22.0%
Stockton, California$113,020+36.0%
Syracuse, New York$93,580+12.6%
Tampa, Florida$106,810+28.5%
Terre Haute, Indiana$98,180+18.1%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$64,660-22.2%
Watertown, New York$79,290-4.6%
Wenatchee, Washington$150,930+81.6%
Gross salary
83,100/yr
Estimated take-home
62,215/yr
Est. total withheld
25.1%

Single filer, federal + Kentucky state tax + FICA, 2026 rates. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Power Plant Operators salaries in Kentucky → All Power Plant Operators salaries →
Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 51-8013 SOC code
Official area Lexington-Fayette, KY BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 30460 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: ky_dor_verificado 2026
Metro also includes
Fayette
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: Kentucky

Population (metro area)
517,378