Last updated May 20, 2026. Wage anchors use BLS OEWS May 2025 national data; occupation matching is interpreted for factory automation roles with help from O*NET occupation definitions.
PLC programmer pay in the United States is hard to price from one government occupation code because the title sits between maintenance, engineering technology, controls engineering, and commissioning work. A plant may call the job PLC Technician. An integrator may call it Controls Programmer. An OEM may call it Automation Specialist. The pay only makes sense when you look at the equipment ownership behind the title.
The Short Answer
For a hands-on U.S. PLC programmer, a practical market range often starts around the upper technician bands and moves into engineering pay when the role owns design, commissioning, customer startup, or plant-wide controls decisions.
The most useful official anchors are BLS electrical/electronic engineering technologists and technicians, mechatronics technicians, industrial electrical/electronics repairers, and electrical engineers. None of those codes is a perfect one-to-one PLC programmer category, but together they show why a junior PLC troubleshooting role is not priced the same as a senior Allen-Bradley or Siemens programmer leading a launch.
Why PLC Programmer Pay Spreads Out
The biggest pay driver is whether the person is only editing known logic or is trusted to diagnose unfamiliar machines under production pressure. A candidate who can open Studio 5000, find a bad input, and restore a line is valuable. A candidate who can also design a sequence, build HMI screens, commission VFDs, work with safety circuits, and support operators during startup is in a different pay lane.
Platform depth matters too. Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Omron, Beckhoff, Ignition, FactoryTalk, Wonderware, Profinet, EtherNet/IP, and motion or servo work all change the market. Travel-heavy integrator roles can pay more than local plant support, but candidates should factor in nights, weekends, per diem, and burnout risk.
Candidate Advice
On a resume, do not just write PLC programming. Name the PLC families, HMI platforms, networks, machines, and failures you have actually supported. Employers pay more for proof that you can troubleshoot real equipment, not for a generic controls keyword.
When comparing offers, ask whether the role includes new programming, legacy troubleshooting, commissioning, on-call support, travel, and electrical troubleshooting. A lower base salary with heavy overtime can beat a higher salary on paper, but only if that lifestyle fits you.
Employer Advice
If you want strong PLC applicants, show the actual controls stack in the first few paragraphs of the posting. A title like Automation Technician may attract the right person only if the body clearly says PLC troubleshooting, HMI edits, drives, sensors, and machine support.
For senior PLC programmers, do not hide travel, startup pressure, overtime, or platform expectations. Good candidates will ask anyway, and vague postings tend to attract broad maintenance applicants instead of people who can own controls problems.
BLS Wage Anchors To Compare
Data note: BLS does not publish a dedicated PLC Programmer occupation. The table uses May 2025 OEWS national wage data for adjacent U.S. occupations and interprets them for factory automation roles.
| BLS occupation | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17-3023 – Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $61,610 | $78,190 | $97,650 | $115,700 |
| 17-3024 – Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians | $59,780 | $73,900 | $88,540 | $109,890 |
| 49-2094 – Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment | $60,040 | $74,090 | $88,710 | $105,590 |
| 17-2071 – Electrical Engineers | $92,830 | $120,630 | $152,950 | $184,300 |
Looking for current PLC programmer openings?
Use the live board to compare real postings by platform, shift, travel, and location.
How To Use This Guide
For candidates, compare the job description against the responsibility level in this guide. A title alone is not enough. Look for the platforms, equipment, travel, shift, startup pressure, and troubleshooting authority.
For employers, use the guide to decide whether the posting is priced like the work you actually need. Better detail usually means fewer weak applications and more serious candidates from the PLC, controls, robotics, and industrial electrical market.
Use this guide
Turn this into a live PLC programmer job search
Compare current openings, then save an alert so new reviewed PLC, controls, robotics, industrial electrical, commissioning, and field service roles come to you.