How much does a Steam Plant Engineer make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Steam Plant Engineer in the United States is $73,682 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $35.
However, a Steam Plant Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $87,731
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $66,453 to $81,036
Key Factors That Influence Steam Plant Engineer Salaries
A Steam Plant Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Steam Plant Engineer Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Steam Plant Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
How Do Steam Plant Engineer Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Steam Plant Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $81,580.
California: $81,271.
Massachusetts: $80,188.
District of Columbia$81,580
California$81,271
Massachusetts$80,188
Washington$79,893
New Jersey$79,864
Alaska$79,761
Connecticut$78,744
New York$78,331
Hawaii$77,012
Rhode Island$76,393
Maryland$75,973
Minnesota$75,399
Colorado$75,178
Illinois$75,104
Oregon$74,824
Delaware$74,618
New Hampshire$74,488
Virginia$74,198
Pennsylvania$73,350
Nevada$72,923
North Dakota$72,783
Michigan$72,562
Wisconsin$72,481
Vermont$72,319
Texas$71,869
Maine$71,840
Arizona$71,796
Ohio$71,744
Georgia$71,066
Indiana$70,727
Wyoming$70,661
Utah$70,558
Iowa$70,513
Kansas$70,160
Louisiana$70,057
North Carolina$70,020
Missouri$70,005
Florida$69,718
Montana$69,563
Nebraska$69,416
Kentucky$69,335
South Carolina$69,040
Tennessee$68,856
Idaho$68,782
New Mexico$68,244
Oklahoma$68,126
Alabama$67,691
South Dakota$66,962
Arkansas$66,564
West Virginia$66,350
Mississippi$65,709
Top Paying Cities for Steam Plant Engineers
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $92,935
San Francisco: $91,917
Oakland: $89,980
San Jose, CA$92,935
San Francisco, CA$91,917
Oakland, CA$89,980
New York, NY$84,836
Paramus, NJ$83,805
Queens Village, NY$83,801
Passaic, NJ$83,731
Bergenfield, NJ$83,725
Stamford, CT$83,563
Huntington, NY$83,532
Newark, NJ$82,988
Bridgeport, CT$82,832
Vallejo, CA$82,686
New Brunswick, NJ$82,656
Petaluma, CA$82,612
Middlesex, NJ$82,472
Somerset, NJ$82,420
Santa Cruz, CA$82,325
Boston, MA$81,875
Monterey, CA$81,617
Seattle, WA$81,448
Santa Rosa, CA$81,433
Los Angeles, CA$81,411
Juneau, AK$81,219
Washington, DC$81,138
Orange, CA$80,876
Santa Ana, CA$80,682
Long Beach, CA$80,608
Anaheim, CA$80,593
Anchorage, AK$80,556
Santa Maria, CA$80,335
Everett, WA$80,321
Danbury, CT$80,061
Bremerton, WA$79,959
Tacoma, WA$79,694
New Suffolk, NY$79,693
Sacramento, CA$79,672
Santa Barbara, CA$79,591
Trenton, NJ$79,510
San Diego, CA$79,510
Brockton, MA$79,429
Fairbanks, AK$79,248
Lompoc, CA$79,061
Lowell, MA$79,001
Ventura, CA$78,987
Nashua, NH$78,972
Stockton, CA$78,965
Modesto, CA$78,427
Poughkeepsie, NY$78,265
Olympia, WA$78,125
Kennewick, WA$78,125
New Haven, CT$78,095
Lawrence, MA$77,830
Hartford, CT$77,756
Riverside, CA$77,742
New Bedford, MA$77,668
Richland, WA$77,668
Bakersfield, CA$77,565
San Bernardino, CA$77,535
New Britain, CT$77,528
Atlantic City, NJ$77,528
New London, CT$77,499
Norwich, CT$77,476
Portsmouth, NH$77,462
Boulder, CO$77,305
Portland, OR$77,204
Worcester, MA$77,196
Minneapolis, MN$76,968
Philadelphia, PA$76,865
Honolulu, HI$76,622
Saint Paul, MN$76,586
Vineland, NJ$76,570
Providence, RI$76,356
Chicago, IL$76,143
Bellingham, WA$76,054
Springfield, MA$75,995
Baltimore, MD$75,973
Chico, CA$75,789
Pittsfield, MA$75,590
Manchester, NH$75,450
Spokane, WA$75,126
Denver, CO$75,119
Albany, NY$74,772
Troy, NY$74,743
Nassau, NY$74,664
Schenectady, NY$74,588
Wilmington, DE$74,529
Burlington, VT$74,426
Salem, OR$74,397
Portland, ME$74,168
Yakima, WA$74,094
Rochester, MN$73,866
Reno, NV$73,829
Fresno, CA$73,829
Milwaukee, WI$73,763
Detroit, MI$73,689
Ann Arbor, MI$73,677
Allentown, PA$73,667
Colorado Springs, CO$73,542
Syracuse, NY$73,505
Carson City, NV$73,505
Houston, TX$73,402
Eugene, OR$73,365
Gary, IN$73,277
Springfield, OR$73,218
Bismarck, ND$73,203
Galveston, TX$73,151
Medford, OR$73,041
Fort Collins, CO$73,011
Concord, NH$72,974
Austin, TX$72,952
Mesa, AZ$72,798
Reading, PA$72,790
Phoenix, AZ$72,783
Dallas, TX$72,761
Saint Cloud, MN$72,690
Madison, WI$72,591
Utica, NY$72,392
Rochester, NY$72,274
Des Moines, IA$72,267
Raleigh, NC$72,260
Atlanta, GA$72,149
Battle Creek, MI$72,127
Salt Lake City, UT$72,105
Lancaster, PA$71,994
Harrisburg, PA$71,891
Kansas City, MO$71,818
Champaign, IL$71,803
Kansas City, KS$71,803
Fort Worth, TX$71,796
Columbus, OH$71,783
Boca Raton, FL$71,766
Pittsburgh, PA$71,737
Richmond, VA$71,707
Indianapolis, IN$71,692
Cleveland, OH$71,685
Las Vegas, NV$71,597
Cincinnati, OH$71,597
Petersburg, VA$71,486
Huntsville, AL$71,376
Lansing, MI$71,326
Lebanon, PA$71,317
Pueblo, CO$71,309
Appleton, WI$71,287
Buffalo, NY$71,258
Dayton, OH$71,236
Racine, WI$71,221
Charlotte, NC$71,213
Saint Louis, MO$71,191
York, PA$71,147
Elkhart, IN$71,147
Gastonia, NC$71,133
Billings, MT$71,115
Beaumont, TX$71,096
Lorain, OH$71,081
Benton Harbor, MI$71,066
Toledo, OH$71,051
Binghamton, NY$71,015
Rock Hill, SC$71,007
Rockford, IL$70,970
Springfield, IL$70,941
Elyria, OH$70,933
Fargo, ND$70,933
Flagstaff, AZ$70,882
Fort Lauderdale, FL$70,838
Duluth, MN$70,793
Miami, FL$70,793
Cheyenne, WY$70,742
Grand Forks, ND$70,742
Bangor, ME$70,580
Cedar Rapids, IA$70,499
Durham, NC$70,468
Louisville, KY$70,462
Grand Rapids, MI$70,447
Hialeah, FL$70,440
Casper, WY$70,337
Scranton, PA$70,248
New Orleans, LA$70,226
Virginia Beach, VA$70,219
Akron, OH$70,182
Peoria, IL$70,086
Sarasota, FL$70,071
Nashville, TN$70,020
Omaha, NE$70,020
Green Bay, WI$70,020
Baton Rouge, LA$69,983
Charleston, SC$69,968
Jamestown, NY$69,931
Davenport, IA$69,931
Tucson, AZ$69,895
Saint Petersburg, FL$69,850
Tampa, FL$69,836
Evansville, IN$69,791
Port Arthur, TX$69,791
Bradenton, FL$69,762
Santa Fe, NM$69,629
Orlando, FL$69,497
Clearwater, FL$69,475
Canton, OH$69,320
La Crosse, WI$69,320
Albuquerque, NM$69,276
Newport News, VA$69,268
High Point, NC$69,246
Ogden, UT$69,217
Corpus Christi, TX$69,158
Norfolk, VA$69,114
Laramie, WY$69,114
Rock Island, IL$69,069
Saginaw, MI$69,055
Jacksonville, FL$69,047
Salisbury, NC$69,032
Boise, ID$69,018
Moline, IL$68,981
Fort Myers, FL$68,959
Memphis, TN$68,944
Tulsa, OK$68,907
Waterloo, IA$68,863
Spartanburg, SC$68,789
Lincoln, NE$68,752
Fort Wayne, IN$68,738
Provo, UT$68,730
Cedar Falls, IA$68,642
San Antonio, TX$68,612
Greensboro, NC$68,583
South Bend, IN$68,576
Savannah, GA$68,495
Muskegon, MI$68,465
Birmingham, AL$68,458
Winston Salem, NC$68,422
Lake Charles, LA$68,244
Anderson, IN$68,229
Lexington, KY$68,207
Augusta, GA$68,185
Greenville, SC$68,185
Lima, OH$68,126
Wichita, KS$68,119
Tuscaloosa, AL$68,119
Columbia, SC$68,053
Springfield, OH$68,038
Asheville, NC$67,920
Bloomington, IN$67,868
Knoxville, TN$67,603
Shreveport, LA$67,596
Wilmington, NC$67,500
Roanoke, VA$67,500
Topeka, KS$67,367
Frankfort, KY$67,359
Oklahoma City, OK$67,308
Chillicothe, OH$67,279
Longview, TX$67,271
Melbourne, FL$67,264
Sioux Falls, SD$67,146
Mobile, AL$67,139
Terre Haute, IN$67,109
Altoona, PA$67,065
Amarillo, TX$67,014
Killeen, TX$66,991
Fayetteville, AR$66,933
Chattanooga, TN$66,910
Sioux City, IA$66,844
Idaho Falls, ID$66,829
Lynchburg, VA$66,770
Gainesville, FL$66,675
Portsmouth, OH$66,638
Little Rock, AR$66,623
Lafayette, LA$66,594
Youngstown, OH$66,594
Daytona Beach, FL$66,549
Clarksville, TN$66,542
Pensacola, FL$66,535
Temple, TX$66,530
Hopkinsville, KY$66,314
Erie, PA$66,299
Florence, SC$66,269
Charleston, WV$66,152
Great Falls, MT$66,115
Macon, GA$66,012
Tallahassee, FL$66,004
Fayetteville, NC$65,989
Waco, TX$65,975
Helena, MT$65,923
Pine Bluff, AR$65,895
Vincennes, IN$65,805
Lubbock, TX$65,776
Alamogordo, NM$65,732
Twin Falls, ID$65,665
Rapid City, SD$65,643
Jackson, MS$65,510
Huntington, WV$65,505
Greenville, MS$65,503
Parkersburg, WV$65,428
Montgomery, AL$65,415
Wichita Falls, TX$65,341
Springfield, MO$65,341
Biloxi, MS$65,304
Monroe, LA$65,230
Johnstown, PA$65,179
Sumter, SC$65,149
Columbus, GA$65,142
Pascagoula, MS$65,002
Abilene, TX$65,002
Kingsport, TN$64,811
Albany, GA$64,811
Gulfport, MS$64,788
Alexandria, LA$64,545
Fort Smith, AR$64,361
El Paso, TX$64,162
Las Cruces, NM$63,831
Harlingen, TX$63,643
Pocatello, ID$63,632
Florence, AL$63,536
Brownsville, TX$63,521
Mcallen, TX$63,366
Dothan, AL$63,263
Columbus, MS$62,826
Altus, OK$62,482
Lawton, OK$62,342
Pierre, SD$62,077
What Skills Can Increase a Steam Plant Engineer's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Customer Service (Mentioned in 4.26% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
Salesforce (Mentioned in 2.36% Job Postings): Designing and maintaining a cloud-based software that provides customer relationship management (CRM) service for a better experience.
Cold Call (Mentioned in 1.71% Job Postings): Cold calling is the solicitation of business from potential customers who have had no prior contact with the salesperson conducting the call. It is an attempt to convince potential customers to purchase either the salesperson's product or service.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Steam Plant Engineer's salary.
Steam Plant Engineer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Steam Plant Engineer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 70% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 25% above the average.
In contrast, Steam Plant Engineer positions in Transportation or Hospitality & Leisure typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Steam Plant Engineer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Steam Plant Engineer
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Pharmaceuticals
$92,102
$44.0
25%
Biotechnology
$88,418
$43.0
20%
Financial Services
$88,418
$43.0
20%
Internet
$88,418
$43.0
20%
Energy & Utilities
$84,734
$41.0
15%
How Education impacts a Steam Plant Engineer's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Steam Plant Engineers enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Steam Plant Engineer with a Bachelor's Degree is between
$80,146
and $85,909).
Understanding how a Steam Plant Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$66,453
Average$73,682/year
$81,036
$5,538
Average$6,140/month
$6,753
$1,278
Average$1,417/week
$1,558
$32
Average$35/hour
$39
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$81,036
$6,753
$1,558
$39
Average
$73,682
$6,140
$1,417
$35
25th Percentile
$66,453
$5,538
$1,278
$32
Salaries of Jobs related to Steam Plant Engineer
Plant Maintenance Engineer$99,240
Plant Process Engineer$99,149
Plant Design Engineer$94,897
Steam Engineer$90,974
Plant Engineer$90,769
Power Plant Engineer$89,473
Plant Electrical Engineer$83,180
Steam Plant Operator$79,898
Assistant PLant Engineer$76,520
Chemical Plant Engineer$73,346
Outside Plant Engineer$71,436
Salary Trends for Steam Plant Engineer
Salaries for a Steam Plant Engineer can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $85,962 in 2023
to around $85,466 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Steam Plant Engineer salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Steam Plant Engineer Over Time
$???
$85,962
$86,251
$85,466
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$85,962
2024
$86,251
2025
$85,466
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Steam Plant Engineer
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Steam Plant Engineer
Here are companies hiring for Steam Plant Engineer and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
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FAQ about Steam Plant Engineer
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Steam Plant Engineer?
The Pharmaceuticals industry offers the highest average compensation for Steam Plant Engineer roles,
with salaries approximately 25% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
