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Power Plant Operators pay in New Mexico and Washington
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Power Plant Operators is $105,510 per year in New Mexico. It is $131,620 per year in Washington. New Mexico is 19.8% below Washington on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 51-8013 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 130 wage and salary jobs in New Mexico and 430 in Washington. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings