occupation · 53-7081 · detailed
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors — wages and employment
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors earned a median annual wage of $48,350 in the United States in May 2024, with 139,180 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors earned a median annual wage of $48,350 in the United States in May 2024, with 139,180 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $31,810 or less, the best-paid tenth $75,200 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $45,760 to $48,350, +5.7 %. The best-paying state is Washington at $71,440; the lowest Puerto Rico at $19,760. Among metropolitan areas, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA pays the highest median, $77,300. 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 | 139,180 | $48,350 | $51,210 | $31,810 | $38,330 | $61,010 | $75,200 | $23.24 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 135,430 | $45,760 | $47,810 | $30,050 | $36,100 | $58,360 | $67,970 | $22.00 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $71,440 | 3,890 |
| Nevada | $65,440 | 600 |
| New York | $64,550 | 11,240 |
| Illinois | $61,880 | 4,940 |
| California | $61,650 | 13,240 |
| Minnesota | $61,630 | 2,260 |
| Oregon | $61,040 | 2,080 |
| Colorado | $60,610 | 3,410 |
| Wisconsin | $60,390 | 1,330 |
| Massachusetts | $59,540 | 1,170 |
| Michigan | $59,290 | 3,680 |
| Indiana | $59,260 | 2,980 |
| Hawaii | $55,330 | 740 |
| District of Columbia | $53,870 | 550 |
| Rhode Island | $51,450 | 520 |
| Montana | $51,230 | 350 |
| Utah | $50,720 | 680 |
| New Jersey | $50,700 | 4,710 |
| North Dakota | $50,440 | 300 |
| Vermont | $49,200 | 160 |
| Iowa | $48,830 | 2,050 |
| Ohio | $48,730 | 5,000 |
| Idaho | $48,200 | 830 |
| Wyoming | $47,970 | 310 |
| Nebraska | $47,490 | 1,190 |
| Delaware | $46,950 | 380 |
| Florida | $46,890 | 9,690 |
| New Mexico | $46,810 | 1,210 |
| Missouri | $46,760 | 2,180 |
| Virginia | $46,080 | 3,720 |
| Connecticut | $45,760 | 930 |
| Texas | $45,710 | 10,720 |
| Maine | $43,220 | 620 |
| Georgia | $43,000 | 4,790 |
| Pennsylvania | $42,690 | 5,800 |
| New Hampshire | $42,690 | 390 |
| Kansas | $42,540 | 980 |
| North Carolina | $40,500 | 6,460 |
| Maryland | $40,080 | 2,710 |
| Alabama | $39,850 | 2,000 |
| Arizona | $39,650 | 2,020 |
| Tennessee | $38,570 | 2,630 |
| South Carolina | $37,380 | 2,600 |
| Kentucky | $36,930 | 2,060 |
| Louisiana | $36,890 | 2,200 |
| Oklahoma | $36,850 | 2,030 |
| Alaska | $36,830 | 330 |
| Arkansas | $36,640 | 1,530 |
| West Virginia | $36,630 | 860 |
| Mississippi | $36,070 | 1,790 |
| South Dakota | $33,030 | 360 |
| Puerto Rico | $19,760 | 2,030 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $77,300 | 2,210 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $76,760 | 960 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $74,240 | 820 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $72,380 | 1,920 |
| Napa, CA | $70,690 | 100 |
| Merced, CA | $66,690 | — |
| Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI | $65,580 | 70 |
| Reno, NV | $65,440 | 190 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $64,880 | 1,330 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $64,530 | 3,560 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $64,050 | 950 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $63,670 | 13,230 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $63,560 | 1,260 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $63,410 | 140 |
| Yakima, WA | $63,300 | 60 |
| Modesto, CA | $62,960 | 270 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $62,930 | 120 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $62,830 | 560 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $62,710 | 860 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $62,040 | 320 |
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