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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

43-5041 Meter Readers, Utilities

Read meter and record consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam.


National estimates for Meter Readers, Utilities
Industry profile for Meter Readers, Utilities
Geographic profile for Meter Readers, Utilities

National estimates for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
20,460 2.5 % $ 23.94 $ 49,800 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 14.00 $ 16.66 $ 21.52 $ 29.80 $ 37.79
Annual Wage (2) $ 29,130 $ 34,660 $ 44,760 $ 61,980 $ 78,600


Industry profile for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Meter Readers, Utilities are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Meter Readers, Utilities, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Meter Readers, Utilities:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 9,660 0.18 $ 21.98 $ 45,710
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 4,110 1.09 $ 32.19 $ 66,940
Other Support Services 2,110 0.67 $ 17.90 $ 37,230
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 1,670 3.01 $ 21.79 $ 45,330
Natural Gas Distribution 1,540 1.41 $ 27.68 $ 57,570

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Meter Readers, Utilities:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 1,670 3.01 $ 21.79 $ 45,330
Natural Gas Distribution 1,540 1.41 $ 27.68 $ 57,570
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 4,110 1.09 $ 32.19 $ 66,940
Other Pipeline Transportation 70 0.89 $ 43.79 $ 91,090
Other Support Services 2,110 0.67 $ 17.90 $ 37,230

Top paying industries for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Pipeline Transportation 70 0.89 $ 43.79 $ 91,090
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 4,110 1.09 $ 32.19 $ 66,940
Natural Gas Distribution 1,540 1.41 $ 27.68 $ 57,570
Management of Companies and Enterprises 230 0.01 $ 27.12 $ 56,410
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 9,660 0.18 $ 21.98 $ 45,710


Geographic profile for Meter Readers, Utilities:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Meter Readers, Utilities are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Meter Readers, Utilities, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of meter readers, utilities by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Meter Readers, Utilities:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 1,840 0.14 1.02 $ 19.01 $ 39,540
New Jersey 1,280 0.31 2.25 $ 26.31 $ 54,730
Florida 1,110 0.12 0.87 $ 22.22 $ 46,210
California 970 0.05 0.40 $ 33.71 $ 70,120
Georgia 950 0.21 1.49 $ 21.48 $ 44,680


Map of location quotient of meter readers, utilities by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Meter Readers, Utilities:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Virginia 350 0.52 3.72 $ 24.25 $ 50,440
Mississippi 450 0.40 2.87 $ 17.80 $ 37,030
Louisiana 680 0.37 2.67 $ 17.48 $ 36,360
New Mexico 300 0.37 2.64 $ 20.31 $ 42,250
Kentucky 650 0.34 2.46 $ 18.75 $ 39,000


Map of annual mean wages of meter readers, utilities by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Meter Readers, Utilities:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 970 0.05 0.40 $ 33.71 $ 70,120
Wisconsin 260 0.09 0.68 $ 33.61 $ 69,910
Alaska 40 0.12 0.85 $ 32.79 $ 68,200
Oregon 100 0.05 0.38 $ 32.75 $ 68,120
Massachusetts 470 0.13 0.96 $ 32.03 $ 66,620



Map of employment of meter readers, utilities by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Meter Readers, Utilities:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,370 0.15 1.07 $ 30.82 $ 64,100
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 380 0.10 0.72 $ 20.06 $ 41,730
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 370 0.12 0.87 $ 20.75 $ 43,160
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 360 0.13 0.96 $ 22.85 $ 47,530
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 360 0.13 0.95 $ 27.36 $ 56,910
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 350 0.13 0.95 $ 32.47 $ 67,530
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 310 0.14 1.00 $ 29.93 $ 62,240
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 300 0.11 0.82 $ 26.03 $ 54,130
Kansas City, MO-KS 250 0.24 1.70 $ 27.87 $ 57,960
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 240 0.05 0.40 $ 29.46 $ 61,280


Map of location quotient of meter readers, utilities by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Meter Readers, Utilities:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Farmington, NM 30 0.73 5.30 $ 20.00 $ 41,590
Morristown, TN 30 0.65 4.69 $ 21.41 $ 44,530
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 80 0.61 4.43 $ 22.52 $ 46,830
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 100 0.58 4.22 $ 15.52 $ 32,280
Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ 30 0.56 4.07 $ 22.47 $ 46,730
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 70 0.56 4.03 $ 21.40 $ 44,500
Wheeling, WV-OH 30 0.55 3.96 $ 26.35 $ 54,800
Las Cruces, NM 40 0.55 3.94 $ 16.96 $ 35,270
Morgantown, WV 30 0.52 3.75 $ 24.98 $ 51,950
Panama City, FL 40 0.51 3.66 $ 20.57 $ 42,780


Map of annual mean wages of meter readers, utilities by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 40 0.04 0.27 $ 43.92 $ 91,350
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 80 0.03 0.24 $ 40.68 $ 84,610
Reno, NV 30 0.14 1.02 $ 35.17 $ 73,150
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 70 0.07 0.50 $ 35.10 $ 73,010
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 70 0.04 0.31 $ 34.46 $ 71,680
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 170 0.09 0.62 $ 34.28 $ 71,300
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 50 0.05 0.34 $ 33.12 $ 68,890
Springfield, MA-CT 40 0.13 0.91 $ 32.97 $ 68,570
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 350 0.13 0.95 $ 32.47 $ 67,530
Green Bay, WI 40 0.24 1.71 $ 32.41 $ 67,400

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Meter Readers, Utilities:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 100 0.63 4.52 $ 16.64 $ 34,610
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area 100 0.53 3.80 $ 19.22 $ 39,980
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 90 0.70 5.08 $ 20.65 $ 42,950
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 90 0.55 3.95 $ 15.63 $ 32,510
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 80 0.36 2.58 $ 19.35 $ 40,250

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Meter Readers, Utilities:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 50 0.80 5.80 (8) (8)
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 80 0.77 5.55 $ 16.34 $ 33,980
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 90 0.70 5.08 $ 20.65 $ 42,950
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 100 0.63 4.52 $ 16.64 $ 34,610
Northwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 50 0.62 4.49 (8) (8)

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 30 0.33 2.39 $ 30.31 $ 63,040
Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area 40 0.54 3.93 $ 28.89 $ 60,090
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 40 0.31 2.27 $ 28.13 $ 58,520
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 60 0.17 1.24 $ 27.49 $ 57,180
Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area 30 0.44 3.15 $ 27.11 $ 56,380


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023