Key Factors That Influence Plant Technician Salaries
A Plant Technician'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, skills
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Plant Technician Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Plant Technician'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:
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: $48,607
San Francisco: $48,074
Oakland: $47,061
San Jose, CA$48,607
San Francisco, CA$48,074
Oakland, CA$47,061
New York, NY$44,371
Paramus, NJ$43,831
Queens Village, NY$43,830
Passaic, NJ$43,793
Bergenfield, NJ$43,789
Stamford, CT$43,705
Huntington, NY$43,689
Newark, NJ$43,404
Bridgeport, CT$43,323
Vallejo, CA$43,246
New Brunswick, NJ$43,231
Petaluma, CA$43,208
Middlesex, NJ$43,134
Somerset, NJ$43,107
Santa Cruz, CA$43,057
Boston, MA$42,822
Monterey, CA$42,687
Seattle, WA$42,599
Santa Rosa, CA$42,591
Los Angeles, CA$42,579
Juneau, AK$42,479
Washington, DC$42,437
Orange, CA$42,300
Santa Ana, CA$42,198
Long Beach, CA$42,159
Anaheim, CA$42,152
Anchorage, AK$42,132
Santa Maria, CA$42,017
Everett, WA$42,009
Danbury, CT$41,873
Bremerton, WA$41,820
Tacoma, WA$41,682
New Suffolk, NY$41,681
Sacramento, CA$41,670
Santa Barbara, CA$41,628
Trenton, NJ$41,585
San Diego, CA$41,585
Brockton, MA$41,543
Fairbanks, AK$41,448
Lompoc, CA$41,350
Lowell, MA$41,319
Ventura, CA$41,312
Nashua, NH$41,304
Stockton, CA$41,300
Modesto, CA$41,019
Poughkeepsie, NY$40,934
Olympia, WA$40,861
Kennewick, WA$40,861
New Haven, CT$40,845
Lawrence, MA$40,707
Hartford, CT$40,668
Riverside, CA$40,660
New Bedford, MA$40,622
Richland, WA$40,622
Bakersfield, CA$40,568
San Bernardino, CA$40,552
New Britain, CT$40,549
Atlantic City, NJ$40,549
New London, CT$40,533
Norwich, CT$40,522
Portsmouth, NH$40,514
Boulder, CO$40,432
Portland, OR$40,379
Worcester, MA$40,375
Minneapolis, MN$40,256
Philadelphia, PA$40,202
Honolulu, HI$40,075
Saint Paul, MN$40,056
Vineland, NJ$40,048
Providence, RI$39,936
Chicago, IL$39,824
Bellingham, WA$39,778
Springfield, MA$39,747
Baltimore, MD$39,735
Chico, CA$39,639
Pittsfield, MA$39,535
Manchester, NH$39,462
Spokane, WA$39,292
Denver, CO$39,288
Albany, NY$39,107
Troy, NY$39,092
Nassau, NY$39,051
Schenectady, NY$39,011
Wilmington, DE$38,980
Burlington, VT$38,926
Salem, OR$38,911
Portland, ME$38,791
Yakima, WA$38,753
Rochester, MN$38,633
Reno, NV$38,614
Fresno, CA$38,614
Milwaukee, WI$38,579
Detroit, MI$38,541
Ann Arbor, MI$38,534
Allentown, PA$38,529
Colorado Springs, CO$38,464
Syracuse, NY$38,444
Carson City, NV$38,444
Houston, TX$38,390
Eugene, OR$38,371
Gary, IN$38,325
Springfield, OR$38,294
Bismarck, ND$38,286
Galveston, TX$38,259
Medford, OR$38,202
Fort Collins, CO$38,186
Concord, NH$38,167
Austin, TX$38,155
Mesa, AZ$38,074
Reading, PA$38,071
Phoenix, AZ$38,067
Dallas, TX$38,055
Saint Cloud, MN$38,018
Madison, WI$37,967
Utica, NY$37,863
Rochester, NY$37,801
Des Moines, IA$37,797
Raleigh, NC$37,793
Atlanta, GA$37,735
Battle Creek, MI$37,724
Salt Lake City, UT$37,712
Lancaster, PA$37,654
Harrisburg, PA$37,600
Kansas City, MO$37,562
Champaign, IL$37,554
Kansas City, KS$37,554
Fort Worth, TX$37,550
Columbus, OH$37,544
Boca Raton, FL$37,535
Pittsburgh, PA$37,520
Richmond, VA$37,504
Indianapolis, IN$37,496
Cleveland, OH$37,493
Las Vegas, NV$37,446
Cincinnati, OH$37,446
Petersburg, VA$37,389
Huntsville, AL$37,331
Lansing, MI$37,305
Lebanon, PA$37,300
Pueblo, CO$37,296
Appleton, WI$37,284
Buffalo, NY$37,269
Dayton, OH$37,257
Racine, WI$37,250
Charlotte, NC$37,246
Saint Louis, MO$37,234
York, PA$37,211
Elkhart, IN$37,211
Gastonia, NC$37,204
Billings, MT$37,195
Beaumont, TX$37,184
Lorain, OH$37,177
Benton Harbor, MI$37,169
Toledo, OH$37,161
Binghamton, NY$37,142
Rock Hill, SC$37,138
Rockford, IL$37,119
Springfield, IL$37,103
Elyria, OH$37,099
Fargo, ND$37,099
Flagstaff, AZ$37,072
Fort Lauderdale, FL$37,049
Duluth, MN$37,026
Miami, FL$37,026
Cheyenne, WY$36,999
Grand Forks, ND$36,999
Bangor, ME$36,914
Cedar Rapids, IA$36,872
Durham, NC$36,856
Louisville, KY$36,853
Grand Rapids, MI$36,845
Hialeah, FL$36,841
Casper, WY$36,787
Scranton, PA$36,741
New Orleans, LA$36,730
Virginia Beach, VA$36,726
Akron, OH$36,706
Peoria, IL$36,656
Sarasota, FL$36,649
Nashville, TN$36,622
Omaha, NE$36,622
Green Bay, WI$36,622
Baton Rouge, LA$36,602
Charleston, SC$36,595
Jamestown, NY$36,575
Davenport, IA$36,575
Tucson, AZ$36,556
Saint Petersburg, FL$36,533
Tampa, FL$36,525
Evansville, IN$36,502
Port Arthur, TX$36,502
Bradenton, FL$36,487
Santa Fe, NM$36,417
Orlando, FL$36,348
Clearwater, FL$36,336
Canton, OH$36,256
La Crosse, WI$36,256
Albuquerque, NM$36,232
Newport News, VA$36,229
High Point, NC$36,217
Ogden, UT$36,202
Corpus Christi, TX$36,171
Norfolk, VA$36,148
Laramie, WY$36,148
Rock Island, IL$36,124
Saginaw, MI$36,117
Jacksonville, FL$36,113
Salisbury, NC$36,105
Boise, ID$36,098
Moline, IL$36,078
Fort Myers, FL$36,067
Memphis, TN$36,059
Tulsa, OK$36,040
Waterloo, IA$36,017
Spartanburg, SC$35,978
Lincoln, NE$35,959
Fort Wayne, IN$35,951
Provo, UT$35,947
Cedar Falls, IA$35,901
San Antonio, TX$35,886
Greensboro, NC$35,870
South Bend, IN$35,866
Savannah, GA$35,824
Muskegon, MI$35,808
Birmingham, AL$35,805
Winston Salem, NC$35,786
Lake Charles, LA$35,693
Anderson, IN$35,685
Lexington, KY$35,674
Augusta, GA$35,662
Greenville, SC$35,662
Lima, OH$35,631
Wichita, KS$35,627
Tuscaloosa, AL$35,627
Columbia, SC$35,593
Springfield, OH$35,585
Asheville, NC$35,523
Bloomington, IN$35,496
Knoxville, TN$35,358
Shreveport, LA$35,354
Wilmington, NC$35,304
Roanoke, VA$35,304
Topeka, KS$35,234
Frankfort, KY$35,230
Oklahoma City, OK$35,203
Chillicothe, OH$35,188
Longview, TX$35,184
Melbourne, FL$35,180
Sioux Falls, SD$35,119
Mobile, AL$35,115
Terre Haute, IN$35,099
Altoona, PA$35,076
Amarillo, TX$35,049
Killeen, TX$35,038
Fayetteville, AR$35,007
Chattanooga, TN$34,995
Sioux City, IA$34,961
Idaho Falls, ID$34,953
Lynchburg, VA$34,922
Gainesville, FL$34,872
Portsmouth, OH$34,853
Little Rock, AR$34,845
Lafayette, LA$34,830
Youngstown, OH$34,830
Daytona Beach, FL$34,807
Clarksville, TN$34,803
Pensacola, FL$34,799
Temple, TX$34,796
Hopkinsville, KY$34,683
Erie, PA$34,676
Florence, SC$34,660
Charleston, WV$34,598
Great Falls, MT$34,579
Macon, GA$34,525
Tallahassee, FL$34,521
Fayetteville, NC$34,514
Waco, TX$34,506
Helena, MT$34,479
Pine Bluff, AR$34,464
Vincennes, IN$34,417
Lubbock, TX$34,402
Alamogordo, NM$34,379
Twin Falls, ID$34,344
Rapid City, SD$34,333
Jackson, MS$34,263
Huntington, WV$34,260
Greenville, MS$34,259
Parkersburg, WV$34,220
Montgomery, AL$34,213
Wichita Falls, TX$34,175
Springfield, MO$34,175
Biloxi, MS$34,155
Monroe, LA$34,117
Johnstown, PA$34,090
Sumter, SC$34,074
Columbus, GA$34,070
Pascagoula, MS$33,997
Abilene, TX$33,997
Kingsport, TN$33,897
Albany, GA$33,897
Gulfport, MS$33,885
Alexandria, LA$33,758
Fort Smith, AR$33,662
El Paso, TX$33,558
Las Cruces, NM$33,385
Harlingen, TX$33,287
Pocatello, ID$33,280
Florence, AL$33,230
Brownsville, TX$33,223
Mcallen, TX$33,142
Dothan, AL$33,088
Columbus, MS$32,859
Altus, OK$32,679
Lawton, OK$32,606
Pierre, SD$32,467
What Skills Can Increase a Plant Technician's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Customer Service (Mentioned in 15.21% 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.
Painting (Mentioned in 2.44% Job Postings): Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and airbrushes, can be used. The final work is also called a painting. Painting is an important form in the visual arts, bringing in elements such as drawing, gesture (as in gestural painting), composition, narration (as in narrative art), or abstraction (as in abstract art). Paintings can be naturalistic and representational (as in a still life or landscape painting), photographic, abstract, narrative, symbolistic (as in Symbolist art), emotive (as in Expressionism), or political in nature (as in Artivism). A portion of the history of painting in both Eastern and Western art is dominated by religious art. Examples of this kind of painting range from artwork depicting mythological figures on pottery, to Biblical scenes Sistine Chapel ceiling, to scenes from the life of Buddha or other images of Eastern religious origin.
First Aid (Mentioned in 1.56% Job Postings): First aid refers to medical attention that is usually administered immediately after the injury occurs and at the location where it occurred.
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 Plant Technician's salary.
Energy Management: Can increase your salary by up to 22%.
Resource Management: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
Plant Technician Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Plant Technician roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 60% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Biotechnology and Aerospace & Defense
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 30% above the average.
In contrast, Plant Technician positions in Hospitality & Leisure or Transportation typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Plant Technician as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industry for a Plant Technician
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Biotechnology
$45,348
$22.0
30%
Plant Technician Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Plant Technician'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.
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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources.
We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right.
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