Production

Power Distributors and Dispatchers

Coordinate, regulate, or distribute electricity or steam.

MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES

A wage reference for United States.

Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.

Source wage group: Power Distributors and Dispatchers

This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Power Distributors and Dispatchers. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.

May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.

Median annual wage$106,730USD per year · Published 50th percentile
Median hourly wage$51.31USD per hour · Published 50th percentile

Annual wage thresholds

USD per year

Hourly wage thresholds

USD per hour

Published occupational wage percentiles · United States · May 2025
PercentileAnnual wage (USD/year)Hourly wage (USD/hour)
10th$72,440$34.83
25th$90,200$43.37
50th · Median$106,730$51.31
75th$130,940$62.95
90th$154,270$74.17

“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.

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THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE

What this career involves.

Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.

Selected title examples

Auxiliary OperatorBoard OperatorControl Area OperatorControl Board OperatorControl OperatorControl Room OperatorDispatcherDistribution A Class LinemanDistribution LinemanDistribution OperatorDistribution System Dispatcher (DSD)Distribution Systems Serviceperson
Expand more title examples (26)
DSO (Distribution System Operator)Electric System OperatorElectrical Energy Distribution Technician (Electrical Energy Distribution Tech)Electrical Energy Storage Technician (Electrical Energy Storage Tech)Feeder Switchboard Operator (Feeder SWB Operator)Load DispatcherMotor Room ControllerPower and Recovery Shift EngineerPower System DispatcherPower System OperatorReal Time OperatorStation OperatorSteam and Power Panel OperatorSteam Plant Control Room OperatorSubstation OperatorSwitchboard and Control Room Operator (SWB and Control Room Operator)Switchboard Operator (SWB Operator)Systems OperatorTransmission OperatorTransmission System Operator (TSO)Utilities OperatorUtility Distribution InspectorUtility InspectorUtility Switchboard Operator (Utility SWB Operator)Voltage InspectorWater Distribution Operator

Typical tasks

  • Coordinate with engineers, planners, field personnel, or other utility workers to provide information such as clearances, switching orders, or distribution process changes.
  • Respond to emergencies, such as transformer or transmission line failures, and route current around affected areas.
  • Control, monitor, or operate equipment that regulates or distributes electricity or steam, using data obtained from instruments or computers.
  • Direct personnel engaged in controlling or operating distribution equipment or machinery, such as instructing control room operators to start boilers or generators.
  • Distribute or regulate the flow of power between entities, such as generating stations, substations, distribution lines, or users, keeping track of the status of circuits or connections.
  • Manipulate controls to adjust or activate power distribution equipment or machines.
Expand more tasks (8)
  • Prepare switching orders that will isolate work areas without causing power outages, referring to drawings of power systems.
  • Monitor and record switchboard or control board readings to ensure that electrical or steam distribution equipment is operating properly.
  • Implement energy schedules, including real-time transmission reservations or schedules.
  • Calculate load estimates or equipment requirements to determine required control settings.
  • Track conditions that could affect power needs, such as changes in the weather, and adjust equipment to meet any anticipated changes.
  • Record and compile operational data, such as chart or meter readings, power demands, or usage and operating times, using transmission system maps.
  • Inspect equipment to ensure that specifications are met or to detect any defects.
  • Tend auxiliary equipment used in the power distribution process.

Skills used in this work

Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Expand more skills (29)
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Operations Analysis
Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Equipment Maintenance
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Management of Material Resources
Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
Repairing
Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Management of Financial Resources
Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
Technology Design
Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
Equipment Selection
Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Programming
Writing computer programs for various purposes.
Installation
Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
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Sources and citation.

Cite this page: Wages.fyi, “Power Distributors and Dispatchers career and wage guide.” Link to this Wages.fyi page

This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wages.fyi has selected and organized this information and added wage navigation and explanations. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Database license and attribution requirements.

Official occupation profile · Official wage reference . Wage reference: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service. Source data and publication dates can differ from the date this page is accessed.