Pay, jobs and training supply for PLC, controls and automation technicians in all 50 states and DC. Every number comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics or the National Center for Education Statistics. Where they publish nothing, we say so.
The BLS has no “PLC technician” occupation, so we use the four federal occupations that cover the work. The closest match, electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians, earned a national median of $73,900 a year in May 2025. State medians for that occupation run from $47,440 in Indiana to $119,320 in New Mexico. Industrial machinery mechanics, the usual category for industrial maintenance technicians, earned $64,520, and BLS projects their employment to grow +17.8% from 2025 to 2035, against +3.5% for all occupations. For comparison, the median for all US jobs was $50,980.
Mechatronics / automation technicians
SOC 17-3024: Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians
$73,900
national median, $35.53/hr
Controls / electrical maintenance technicians
SOC 49-2094: Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
$74,090
national median, $35.62/hr
Electrical / instrumentation technicians
SOC 17-3023: Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
$78,190
national median, $37.59/hr
Industrial maintenance technicians
SOC 49-9041: Industrial Machinery Mechanics
$64,520
national median, $31.02/hr
Pay and jobs: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (excludes the self-employed). Change and openings: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national only. Accessed September 28, 2026.
State highlights
Pick an occupation. The highlights, the state table below and the rankings all switch to it.
Showing Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians (SOC 17-3024). BLS published employment and a median wage for 39 of 51 states and DC.
Median annual wage
Lowest published: Indiana, $47,440.
Estimated employment, May 2025
National total: 15,520.
Occupation median vs. the state's median for all jobs
A rough local-pay lens from the same survey: +60% means the median is 60% above what the typical worker in that state earns.
Your state
Tip: you can link straight to a state with #state- plus its two-letter code, for example #state-oh for Ohio.
All states
Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians (SOC 17-3024), May 2025. Select a column heading to sort. Cells BLS did not publish sort to the bottom and read “not published”.
Showing 51 of 51
| 670 | $119,320 | $57.37 | +153% | 7.73 | 133 | |
| 90 | $82,820 | $39.82 | +58% | 2.09 | 54 | |
| not published | $82,510 | $39.67 | +60% | not published | 34 | |
| 220 | $82,010 | $39.43 | +72% | 1.42 | 139 | |
| 140 | $81,860 | $39.36 | +37% | 0.84 | 25 | |
| 1,850 | $81,550 | $39.21 | +40% | 1.02 | 897 | |
| 570 | $81,220 | $39.05 | +29% | 1.60 | 703 | |
| 120 | $80,930 | $38.91 | +62% | 0.37 | 563 | |
| 40 | $80,290 | $38.60 | +32% | 1.37 | 12 | |
| 250 | $79,400 | $38.18 | +53% | 0.42 | 894 | |
| 70 | $77,340 | $37.19 | +59% | 1.41 | 0 | |
| 580 | $76,290 | $36.68 | +52% | 1.98 | 482 | |
| 80 | $75,780 | $36.44 | +36% | 1.14 | 7 | |
| 500 | $75,450 | $36.28 | +58% | 0.50 | 214 | |
| 120 | $75,410 | $36.26 | +66% | 0.64 | 1,350 | |
| 90 | $75,330 | $36.22 | +27% | 0.33 | 29 | |
| 570 | $74,880 | $36.00 | +34% | 1.39 | 138 | |
| 570 | $74,730 | $35.93 | +25% | 1.99 | 95 | |
| 650 | $74,710 | $35.92 | +50% | 1.07 | 241 | |
| 920 | $73,630 | $35.40 | +16% | 2.54 | 28 | |
| 350 | $73,050 | $35.12 | +48% | 0.63 | 652 | |
| 180 | $73,010 | $35.10 | +50% | 1.19 | 330 | |
| 130 | $72,800 | $35.00 | +49% | 1.23 | 271 | |
| 70 | $71,420 | $34.34 | +78% | 0.56 | 330 | |
| 120 | $70,830 | $34.05 | +48% | 1.35 | 38 | |
| 170 | $68,720 | $33.04 | +43% | 0.34 | 1,083 | |
| 410 | $68,010 | $32.70 | +14% | 0.42 | 137 | |
| 270 | $67,610 | $32.50 | +45% | 1.16 | 127 | |
| 160 | $67,140 | $32.28 | +18% | 0.82 | 105 | |
| 70 | $66,660 | $32.05 | +46% | 0.31 | 812 | |
| 230 | $65,360 | $31.43 | +37% | 0.80 | 428 | |
| 70 | $65,270 | $31.38 | +39% | 0.36 | 2,146 | |
| 140 | $65,100 | $31.30 | +43% | 0.85 | 203 | |
| 190 | $64,720 | $31.12 | +37% | 0.58 | 841 | |
| 800 | $63,330 | $30.45 | +32% | 1.62 | 383 | |
| 850 | $62,460 | $30.03 | +27% | 1.94 | 386 | |
| 400 | $61,670 | $29.65 | +8% | 1.36 | 161 | |
| 200 | $60,040 | $28.87 | +3% | 0.47 | 22 | |
| 1,800 | $54,460 | $26.18 | +12% | 1.28 | 1,916 | |
| 290 | $47,440 | $22.81 | -1% | 0.91 | 940 | |
| not published | not published | not published | not published | not published | 403 | |
| not published | not published | not published | not published | not published | 65 | |
| not published | not published | not published | not published | not published | 0 | |
| not published | not published | not published | not published | not published | 0 | |
| not published | not published | not published | not published | not published | 147 | |
| not published | not published | not published | not published | not published | 3 | |
| not published | not published | not published | not published | not published | 32 | |
| not published | not published | not published | not published | not published | 240 | |
| not published | not published | not published | not published | not published | 6 | |
| not published | not published | not published | not published | not published | 17 | |
| not published | not published | not published | not published | not published | 47 |
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 state estimates; program completions are NCES IPEDS awards in the five related programs listed under methodology, 2023–24 academic year (July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024), and do not change with the occupation selected. Accessed September 28, 2026.
Training supply
In the 2023–24 academic year (July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024), US colleges and technical schools awarded 18,309 certificates and degrees in five programs that feed these jobs, from 531 institutions. Most were short credentials: 12,070 certificates below the bachelor's level and 4,126 associate degrees, against 2,113 bachelor's or higher. Compare that with about 44,400 openings a year projected for industrial machinery mechanics alone. Many technicians enter through apprenticeships, military service or on-the-job training instead, which IPEDS does not count.
| Program | Awards |
|---|---|
| 15.0403 Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician | 2,972 |
| 15.0404 Instrumentation Technology/Technician | 2,663 |
| 15.0405 Robotics Technology/Technician | 759 |
| 15.0612 Industrial Technology/Technician | 3,866 |
| 47.0303 Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician | 8,049 |
Totals depend on how colleges code their programs. A mechatronics program coded as electrical engineering technology, for example, is not counted here.
Methodology
Federal statistics classify jobs by the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). No SOC code is called PLC technician, controls technician or automation technician. Employers report those workers under whichever code best matches the rest of the job, so we show the four codes where PLC work is a routine part of the role. O*NET lists “Automation Technician” as a reported job title for 17-3024, and “Control Technician” and “Electrical Maintenance Technician” for 49-2094.
| SOC | Federal title | Common job titles it covers | Typical entry (BLS) | States published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17-3024 | Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians | Mechatronics / automation technicians | Associate's degree | 39 of 51 |
| 49-2094 | Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment | Controls / electrical maintenance technicians | Postsecondary nondegree award | 49 of 51 |
| 17-3023 | Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians | Electrical / instrumentation technicians | Associate's degree | 51 of 51 |
| 49-9041 | Industrial Machinery Mechanics | Industrial maintenance technicians | High school diploma or equivalent | 51 of 51 |
Read before you quote
Next step
BLS lists “associate's degree” as the typical entry-level education for electro-mechanical and mechatronics technicians, and “high school diploma or equivalent” plus long-term on-the-job training for industrial machinery mechanics. In practice most people combine a community college program or registered apprenticeship with employer and vendor training. Our guide to PLC training in the USA compares those routes and shows how to find local programs.
For what the work involves day to day, read the PLC technician career guide and the automation technician career guide. For programmer and controls engineer pay from job-board surveys, see PLC salary statistics.
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Last updated September 28, 2026. The source data are US government works in the public domain; please credit the agencies. Suggested citation:
PLC Simulation Software. (September 28, 2026). PLC technician salary by state: pay, employment and training data for PLC and automation technician occupations [Data set]. Compiled from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025–35); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS Completions (2023–24 academic year). https://plcsimulationsoftware.com/plc-technician-salary-by-state
PLC Simulation Software is independent. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Center for Education Statistics or O*NET. This page is BLS and NCES data compiled by us; any errors in compilation are ours.