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The differences between plant operators and control room operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a control room operator has an average salary of $43,733, which is higher than the $42,697 average annual salary of a plant operator.
The top three skills for a plant operator include plant equipment, plant operations and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a control room operator are control room operations, plant operations, and safety procedures.
| Plant Operator | Control Room Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $42,697 | $43,733 |
| Hourly rate | $20.53 | $21.03 |
| Growth rate | -7% | -15% |
| Number of jobs | 43,388 | 89,096 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | - |
A plant operator's primary role is to supervise and oversee operations in an industrial setting. They are responsible for controlling machinery and equipment, coordinating with fellow officers, monitoring the quality of progress among a particular unit or department, and maintaining daily operations records. A plant operator may also respond to inquiries and issues, perform basic troubleshooting, and provide corrective measures. Furthermore, a plant operator must conduct regular inspection and maintenance to ensure a safe work environment for everyone, all while implementing the plant's safety policies and regulations.
A control room operator is an individual who works in the control room of a power plant to monitor the operations of the plant as well as ensures that everything is properly working. By using computer controls, control room operators must monitor and maintain plant equipment and indicators for proper operation. They must perform maintenance on various plant equipment to help improve reliability while monitoring the temperature to control plant heat. Control room operators must also serve as the control point for all individuals who enter the toxic areas of the facility.
Plant operators and control room operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plant Operator | Control Room Operator | |
| Average salary | $42,697 | $43,733 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $56,000 | Between $30,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Commerce City, CO |
| Highest paying state | Idaho | Alaska |
| Best paying company | NW Natural | California Resources |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Energy |
There are a few differences between a plant operator and a control room operator in terms of educational background:
| Plant Operator | Control Room Operator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | - |
Here are the differences between plant operators' and control room operators' demographics:
| Plant Operator | Control Room Operator | |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% | Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5% | Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 1.5% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |