Power Systems Planning Engineer Salary
This is the Data Center Headhunters salary guide.
BLS does not measure Power Systems Planning Engineer as its own occupation, so this page uses Electrical Engineers (SOC 17-2071, broader occupation). The median annual wage in the United States was $120,630 (BLS, May 2025), and the middle half earned $92,830 to $152,950.
This is what we do all day: recruit data center professionals.
Broader occupation
Electrical Engineers is a broader occupation based on the work described, not a separate data center wage series. BLS does not distinguish this title, experience level, shift, credentials or data center employers. Confirm the actual duties before using this comparison.
National pay range
| Point | Annual wage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $76,550 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $92,830 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median | $120,630 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $152,950 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $184,300 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $125,100 | Average wage. |
| Point | Hourly wage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36.8 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $44.63 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median | $58 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $73.53 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $88.61 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $60.15 | Average wage. |
What BLS wages include: base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. What they leave out: overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-2071 Electrical Engineers, United States. View this release at BLS.
Pay relative to all occupations
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| This occupation, median | $120,630 |
| All occupations (SOC 00-0000), median | $50,980 |
| Relative wage | 2.37 times |
A ratio of 1.00 means the same median as all workers in the area. It is arithmetic on two BLS medians, not a BLS statistic.
Pay in industries that hire this occupation
| Industry (BLS name) | NAICS | Employment | Share of occupation | Median | P25 to P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 541300 | 47,480 | 23.9% | $105,470 | $82,830 to $142,210 |
| Engineering Services | 541330 | 44,480 | 22.4% | $105,780 | $82,840 to $145,460 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | 221100 | 20,330 | 10.2% | $122,430 | $99,220 to $136,730 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 238200 | 8,540 | 4.3% | $98,550 | $80,080 to $124,870 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 541500 | 8,470 | 4.3% | $132,020 | $98,280 to $185,760 |
| Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors | 238210 | 7,260 | 3.7% | $98,550 | $79,820 to $124,120 |
| Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 335900 | 2,860 | 1.4% | $102,550 | $82,640 to $129,630 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services | 541380 | 1,650 | 0.8% | $108,250 | $87,070 to $129,920 |
| Utility System Construction | 237100 | 1,510 | 0.8% | $100,280 | $78,810 to $126,850 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction | 237130 | 1,430 | 0.7% | $99,570 | $78,250 to $126,420 |
| Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 334100 | 1,230 | 0.6% | $133,080 | $78,360 to $177,610 |
| Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers | 423400 | 1,150 | 0.6% | $128,350 | $86,730 to $191,960 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors | 238220 | 960 | 0.5% | $98,130 | $80,100 to $123,490 |
| Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance | 811300 | 770 | 0.4% | $110,650 | $95,740 to $134,830 |
| Nonresidential Building Construction | 236200 | 710 | 0.4% | $127,400 | $84,050 to $157,690 |
| Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services | 518200 | 370 | 0.2% | $124,420 | $95,990 to $168,480 |
| Facilities Support Services | 561200 | 200 | 0.1% | $109,350 | $80,350 to $139,670 |
These national industry rows cover privately owned establishments. Industry names are exact BLS NAICS titles. Industries overlap, so shares do not sum to 100%. An industry row does not mean the employer runs data centers.
Pay in target metros
| Metro area | Median | P25 to P75 | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $126,420 | $98,550 to $165,690 | 4,450 | 1.11 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $124,390 | $89,410 to $161,080 | 5,720 | 1.11 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $99,160 | $81,040 to $131,260 | 3,420 | 1.13 |
| Columbus, OH | $102,380 | $83,510 to $126,830 | 1,100 | 0.78 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $113,520 | $92,320 to $134,330 | 4,290 | 0.74 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $187,060 | $157,150 to $218,170 | 4,160 | 2.87 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $128,080 | $102,000 to $144,040 | 2,320 | 1.5 |
Location quotient measures job concentration, not pay. A value above 1 means the occupation makes up a larger share of local jobs than it does nationally. It says nothing about wages.
Highest and lowest paying metros
Ranked by published median annual wage among 317 metro areas with an exact median.
| Rank | Metro area | Median | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $187,060 | 4,160 | 2.87 |
| 2 | Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | $167,010 | 50 | 0.41 |
| 3 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $166,030 | 2,470 | 0.81 |
| 4 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $164,880 | 100 | 0.36 |
| 5 | Albuquerque, NM | $163,720 | 1,280 | 2.47 |
| 6 | Vallejo, CA | $160,060 | 150 | 0.79 |
| 7 | Manchester-Nashua, NH | $159,360 | 1,050 | 4.1 |
| 8 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $145,360 | 4,070 | 2.46 |
| 9 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $140,210 | 4,930 | 1.85 |
| 10 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $139,780 | 8,970 | 1.12 |
| Rank | Metro area | Median | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 308 | Yuma, AZ | $91,080 | 40 | 0.48 |
| 309 | San Angelo, TX | $91,040 | 50 | 0.76 |
| 310 | Missoula, MT | $88,770 | 70 | 0.84 |
| 311 | College Station-Bryan, TX | $88,690 | 130 | 0.73 |
| 312 | Elkhart-Goshen, IN | $85,730 | 200 | 1.23 |
| 313 | Wausau, WI | $85,210 | 60 | 0.69 |
| 314 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | $83,930 | 170 | 0.48 |
| 315 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $83,180 | 320 | 1.15 |
| 316 | Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | $75,020 | 50 | 0.46 |
| 317 | San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | $72,910 | 230 | 0.26 |
Location quotient measures job concentration, not pay. A value above 1 means the occupation makes up a larger share of local jobs than it does nationally. It says nothing about wages.
Where pay is highest relative to local wages
This compares the occupation's median with the all-occupations median in the same metro and on the same annual basis. It does not adjust for living costs. Only exact published medians are ranked. A top-coded lower bound cannot establish an exact rank.
| Metro | Occupation median | All-occupations median | Ratio | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | $167,010 | $43,710 | 3.82 times | 50 | 0.41 |
| Aguadilla, PR | $98,540 | $26,480 | 3.72 times | 50 | 0.72 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $163,720 | $48,060 | 3.41 times | 1,280 | 2.47 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | $131,330 | $39,740 | 3.30 times | 50 | 0.68 |
| Beckley, WV | $123,450 | $41,850 | 2.95 times | 40 | 0.69 |
| Idaho Falls, ID | $136,100 | $46,800 | 2.91 times | 130 | 1.24 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $164,880 | $56,850 | 2.90 times | 100 | 0.36 |
| Fresno, CA | $134,780 | $46,910 | 2.87 times | 400 | 0.65 |
| Lake Charles, LA | $129,940 | $45,700 | 2.84 times | 70 | 0.51 |
| Hattiesburg, MS | $106,620 | $37,750 | 2.82 times | 60 | 0.73 |
| Charleston, WV | $129,250 | $45,830 | 2.82 times | 60 | 0.47 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | $159,360 | $56,530 | 2.82 times | 1,050 | 4.1 |
| Auburn-Opelika, AL | $109,100 | $39,070 | 2.79 times | 30 | 0.33 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | $99,960 | $35,830 | 2.79 times | 100 | 0.27 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | $100,870 | $36,490 | 2.76 times | 100 | 0.49 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $124,800 | $45,350 | 2.75 times | 230 | 0.93 |
| Visalia, CA | $124,010 | $45,130 | 2.75 times | 90 | 0.4 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $133,030 | $48,710 | 2.73 times | 350 | 0.68 |
| Vallejo, CA | $160,060 | $58,620 | 2.73 times | 150 | 0.79 |
| Burlington, NC | $119,650 | $44,010 | 2.72 times | 30 | 0.39 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $132,930 | $49,290 | 2.70 times | 80 | 1.19 |
| Decatur, AL | $124,440 | $46,280 | 2.69 times | 160 | 2.07 |
| Johnstown, PA | $118,480 | $44,110 | 2.69 times | 50 | 0.75 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $136,240 | $50,770 | 2.68 times | 100 | 0.67 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | $103,240 | $38,520 | 2.68 times | 60 | 0.53 |
Location quotient measures job concentration, not pay. A value above 1 means the occupation makes up a larger share of local jobs than it does nationally. It says nothing about wages.
Source: BLS OEWS BLS, May 2025, SOC 17-2071 and SOC 00-0000, matching metro areas. The ratio is our arithmetic on those published medians, not a BLS statistic.
Change since the prior BLS release
| Reference period | Median |
|---|---|
| May 2024 | $111,910 |
| May 2025 | $120,630 |
| Difference | +$8,720 (+7.8%) |
Two published BLS values, shown as released. Not annualized, not adjusted for inflation, and BLS metro boundaries and survey panels can differ between releases.
What is inside the BLS pay figure
For construction and commissioning hires, separate expense reimbursements and overtime from straight-time pay. Check a project bonus on its actual terms. Guaranteed pay and production incentives count in BLS wages; discretionary nonproduction bonuses do not.
| Component | In the BLS figure? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Base rate and guaranteed pay | Included | BLS counts the "base rate" and "guaranteed pay". |
| Production and incentive pay | Included | BLS counts "incentive pay including commissions and production bonuses". |
| On-call pay | Included | BLS lists "on-call pay" and "hazardous-duty pay" as wages. |
| Overtime pay matters here | Left out | BLS excludes "overtime pay". Straight-time pay only. |
| Shift differentials | Left out | BLS excludes "shift differentials", so night and weekend premiums are not in the figure. |
| Project-completion and discretionary bonuses matters here | Depends on the terms | Guaranteed pay and production incentives are included. Discretionary nonproduction bonuses are excluded. Check how the payment is defined. |
| Per diem, travel and relocation matters here | Left out | BLS does not name these as wages. They are expense reimbursements and are not in the figure. |
| Benefits and employer costs | Left out | BLS excludes "employer costs for supplementary benefits". |
Questions
What is the median pay for Power Systems Planning Engineer?
The BLS median annual wage for Electrical Engineers nationally is $120,630 (BLS, May 2025).
What range do most Power Systems Planning Engineer earn?
Per BLS, the middle half earned $92,830 to $152,950, and 10% earned less than $76,550.
Is this the exact job title?
Electrical Engineers is a broader occupation based on the work described, not a separate data center wage series. BLS does not distinguish this title, experience level, shift, credentials or data center employers. Confirm the actual duties before using this comparison.
How many people are employed in this occupation?
BLS estimates 198,750 jobs nationally in Electrical Engineers across all industries.
What do BLS wages leave out?
They leave out overtime, shift differentials, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation. Base pay, guaranteed pay, on-call pay and production-based incentive pay are included.
Hiring Market Brief
A one-page brief for Power Systems Planning Engineer: BLS pay, mapping and caveats.
Hiring Power Systems Planning Engineer?
Pay is one input. Scope, license and travel decide whether the person says yes.
Related
What the published rows say about Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States
Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States is represented here by Electrical Engineers, SOC 17-2071, in the May 2025 OEWS release. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, data Center Headhunters uses the broader crosswalk for this title; the occupation row, rather than a separate survey of Power Systems Planning Engineer, supplies the figures on this page. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, the published annual median is $120,630 and the middle-half endpoints are $92,830 and $152,950.
The Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States middle-half band spans $60,120 on the annual basis. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, its lower quarter-to-median distance is $27,800, compared with $32,320 from the median to the upper quarter. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, the upper interval is at least as wide as the other interval in this row. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, for an offer against this Power Systems Planning Engineer crosswalk, these are published reference points, not experience grades; the width does not establish a reason for differences between individual workers.
Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States can also be compared with Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, where the annual median for Electrical Engineers is $139,780 in May 2025. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, this comparison metro is selected by published occupation employment, not by a national geographic distance. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, the Power Systems Planning Engineer crosswalk comparison differs by $19,150 from the the United States median.
Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States can also be compared with New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, where the annual median for Electrical Engineers is $128,340 in May 2025. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, this comparison metro is selected by published occupation employment, not by a national geographic distance. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, the Power Systems Planning Engineer crosswalk comparison differs by $7,710 from the the United States median.
Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States has no local industry-by-occupation wage breakdown in the loaded OEWS rows. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, the highest published national industry medians loaded for SOC 17-2071 are Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4241, 4247, and 4249 only) at $237,660 and Software Publishers at $170,340. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, these May 2025 observations describe the national Electrical Engineers occupation in those industries, not the pay of data center employers in the United States; they cannot support a local industry ranking.
The Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States matched median changed from $111,910 in May 2024 to $120,630 in May 2025, a difference of $8,720 up. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, both observations use SOC 17-2071, area code 99 and the same annual wage basis. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, this Power Systems Planning Engineer comparison reports the released values without adjusting for inflation, annualizing the change or attributing it to a particular employer.
Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States uses the OEWS straight-time wage definition, not a complete cost-to-employ budget. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, for an offer mapped to Electrical Engineers, separate overtime, shift differentials and expense reimbursements from the annual figures for the United States; BLS excludes those categories. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, on-call pay, guaranteed pay and production incentives are included under the wage definition. For Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States, no Power Systems Planning Engineer-specific per diem, travel allowance or relocation amount is observed in this row, so this May 2025 page adds no dollar allowance on top.
Questions about Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States
Which BLS row supports Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States?
Power Systems Planning Engineer is mapped to SOC 17-2071, Electrical Engineers; the May 2025 the United States annual median is $120,630. The mapping is broader, not a separate survey of this niche title.
Does the the United States figure show all offer costs for Power Systems Planning Engineer?
Power Systems Planning Engineer pay in the United States uses straight-time OEWS wages. Overtime and shift differentials are excluded; on-call and guaranteed pay are included. No allowance for travel or relocation is added to this 17-2071 observation.
- power systems planning engineer los angeles long beach anaheim ca
- power systems planning engineer new york newark jersey city ny nj
- power systems planning engineer
- power systems planning engineer
- methodology
Nearest-area selection uses Census Gazetteer internal points, not road distance. Source: 2025 Census Gazetteer.