Power Plant Operators pay range in Virginia Beach
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $49,410 a year or less, while the top 10% make $76,420 or more. The middle half of power plant operators in Virginia Beach earn between $59,330 and $73,940.
- $49K10th
- $59K25th
- $66KMedian
- $74K75th
- $76K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $64,660 | $5,388 | $31.09 |
| Median | $66,500 | $5,542 | $31.97 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $59,330 | $4,944 | $28.52 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $73,940 | $6,162 | $35.55 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Power Plant Operators salary after taxes in Virginia Beach
On the average salary of $64,660, a single filer in Virginia Beach takes home about $51,230 a year, or $4,269 a month and $1,970 every two weeks. Taxes take 21% of gross pay.
The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:
| State | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Working in NC | $52,063 | $4,339 |
| Working in VA | $51,230 | $4,269 |
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
Is Virginia Beach a good place for power plant operators? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Virginia Beach area are 2% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 97.9), so the average $64,660 buys what about $66,019 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.3 times the median wage of all jobs in Virginia Beach ($49,430). A typical home costs $373,678, or 5.8 years of this average salary before tax.
Power Plant Operators salary in other Virginia cities
Virginia Beach ranks 2nd of 2 Virginia metro areas for this job; Richmond pays the most ($67,130).
- Richmond$67,130
- Virginia Beach$64,660
Highest-paying cities for power plant operators
Wenatchee, WA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($150,930).
- Wenatchee, WA$150,930
- Sacramento, CA$135,310
- Seattle, WA$132,410
- Fresno, CA$131,280
- San Francisco, CA$130,890
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Power Plant Operators salary in Virginia Beach: questions
How much do power plant operators make an hour in Virginia Beach?
$31.09 an hour on average, and $31.97 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level power plant operators salary in Virginia Beach?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $49,410 a year and the 25th percentile is $59,330, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the power plant operators take-home pay in Virginia Beach?
About $51,230 a year ($4,269 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $64,660.
Do power plant operators earn more in Virginia Beach than elsewhere?
The average here is 37% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($102,474).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 51-8013; area Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC (47260). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.6%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.74, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.74).
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