occupation · 51-8031 · detailed
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators — wages and employment
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators earned a median annual wage of $58,260 in the United States in May 2024, with 126,750 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators earned a median annual wage of $58,260 in the United States in May 2024, with 126,750 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $37,870 or less, the best-paid tenth $86,160 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $54,890 to $58,260, +6.1 %. The best-paying state is California at $82,100; the lowest Puerto Rico at $25,700. Among metropolitan areas, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA pays the highest median, $123,390. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 126,750 | $58,260 | $60,620 | $37,870 | $47,020 | $71,280 | $86,160 | $28.01 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 120,710 | $54,890 | $58,050 | $36,680 | $44,720 | $67,790 | $83,090 | $26.39 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| California | $82,100 | 11,260 |
| Nevada | $79,140 | — |
| Washington | $78,810 | 1,950 |
| Alaska | $76,910 | 570 |
| New Jersey | $75,200 | 2,040 |
| Connecticut | $74,450 | 750 |
| Minnesota | $70,470 | 2,050 |
| Colorado | $68,220 | 2,410 |
| New Hampshire | $66,240 | 930 |
| Hawaii | $65,800 | 660 |
| Massachusetts | $65,620 | 2,480 |
| Oregon | $64,500 | 1,170 |
| Illinois | $63,790 | 3,870 |
| New York | $63,140 | 5,270 |
| Wisconsin | $62,360 | 2,110 |
| Vermont | $61,530 | 340 |
| Arizona | $61,480 | 3,470 |
| Maine | $60,960 | 660 |
| Wyoming | $60,580 | 710 |
| Delaware | $59,960 | 250 |
| Montana | $59,960 | 690 |
| Iowa | $59,400 | 2,460 |
| Pennsylvania | $59,170 | 5,190 |
| Utah | $59,120 | 1,750 |
| Virginia | $58,920 | 3,390 |
| Maryland | $58,740 | 1,630 |
| Ohio | $58,720 | 5,550 |
| Florida | $58,630 | 7,560 |
| Michigan | $58,470 | 2,720 |
| North Dakota | $58,250 | 660 |
| Nebraska | $57,640 | 1,040 |
| Rhode Island | $57,060 | 360 |
| Indiana | $55,170 | 3,300 |
| South Dakota | $54,090 | 1,040 |
| Idaho | $53,250 | 1,110 |
| Missouri | $52,990 | 2,700 |
| Tennessee | $50,760 | 3,090 |
| North Carolina | $49,710 | 3,420 |
| South Carolina | $49,480 | 2,800 |
| Georgia | $49,370 | 2,880 |
| Alabama | $48,730 | 2,950 |
| Texas | $48,110 | 10,340 |
| Kansas | $47,950 | 1,430 |
| Kentucky | $47,700 | 3,150 |
| New Mexico | $46,680 | 2,180 |
| Mississippi | $44,970 | 1,140 |
| West Virginia | $43,960 | 1,210 |
| Guam | $43,600 | 40 |
| Oklahoma | $41,380 | 2,750 |
| Louisiana | $38,690 | 2,230 |
| Arkansas | $38,310 | 2,240 |
| Puerto Rico | $25,700 | 1,100 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $123,390 | 1,160 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $106,440 | 400 |
| Vallejo, CA | $101,670 | 190 |
| Napa, CA | $99,450 | 90 |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | $91,010 | 40 |
| Salinas, CA | $90,610 | 140 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $88,440 | 730 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $85,790 | 90 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $85,000 | 70 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $84,960 | 890 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $83,830 | 410 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $83,630 | 220 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $83,260 | 260 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $82,830 | 3,310 |
| Modesto, CA | $82,790 | 220 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $82,500 | 1,580 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $81,730 | 80 |
| Yuba City, CA | $80,810 | 90 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $80,690 | 2,070 |
| Bloomington, IL | $80,600 | 70 |
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