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Plant and System Operators in Iowa

Want to work in Iowa as a Plant and System Operator? Read this first!

11.3% Jobs Projection

$61,980 Median Salary

60 Job Openings

You’re in luck! Jobs for Plant and System Operators in Iowa are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

Projected employment for Plant and System Operators in Iowa is growing faster than average.
Plant and System Operators in Iowa earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Plant and System Operators Work in Iowa?

In Iowa, there were 340 people working as Plant and System Operators in the year 2018.

There were 470 Plant and System Operators employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 130 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 150 Plant and System Operators working in it, which means Iowa has more Plant and System Operators than average.

Job Projections for Iowa

Jobs for Plant and System Operators in this state are growing at a rate of 11.3% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 2.5%.

Iowa Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 60 annual job openings, and a total of 590 jobs for Iowa Plant and System Operators in 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 1,200 annual jobs and 12,400 total jobs in 2026.

What do Plant and System Operators Make in Iowa?

In 2018 wages for Plant and System Operators ranged from $42,730 to $80,510 with $61,980 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $20.54 to $38.71. The median hourly rate was $29.8.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $26.53 an hour.

The hourly rate grew by $3.27.

The median salary in Iowa is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top Iowa Metros for Plant and System Operators

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Plant and System Operators.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	70	$66,320
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD	50	$48,140

Top States for Plant and System Operators Employment

The table below shows the states where most Plant and System Operators work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	1,530	$65,580
Louisiana	1,150	$52,300
Texas	930	$49,710
Colorado	840	$47,520
Florida	600	$53,040
Ohio	400	$53,660
Arizona	370	$55,240
Maryland	360	$65,140
Montana	350	$59,710
Iowa	340	$61,980
Tennessee	330	$56,970
New Jersey	290	$63,000
Washington	280	$69,210
Pennsylvania	270	$54,470
New Mexico	250	$52,570
Georgia	250	$40,450
Illinois	230	$66,290
Oregon	210	$54,630
Oklahoma	190	$50,810
Minnesota	190	$64,350

Below are the states where Plant and System Operators get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
Alaska	$69,690
Washington	$69,210
Hawaii	$68,920
Kansas	$68,700
Connecticut	$67,560
Illinois	$66,290
California	$65,580
Maryland	$65,140
Minnesota	$64,350
New York	$63,050

You may also be interested in the following careers:

Occupation	Iowa Employment Total
Chemical Plant and System Operators	1,090
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers	110
Gas Plant Operators	70

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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