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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

51-8031 Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

Operate or control an entire process or system of machines, often through the use of control boards, to transfer or treat water or wastewater.


National estimates for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
Industry profile for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
Geographic profile for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

National estimates for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
119,380 1.1 % $ 24.95 $ 51,890 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 14.29 $ 18.19 $ 23.60 $ 30.24 $ 38.28
Annual Wage (2) $ 29,730 $ 37,830 $ 49,090 $ 62,890 $ 79,620


Industry profile for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 89,280 1.65 $ 25.02 $ 52,050
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 14,900 27.84 $ 24.14 $ 50,210
Waste Treatment and Disposal 1,880 1.91 $ 27.38 $ 56,950
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 1,120 0.21 $ 21.28 $ 44,260
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 960 0.06 $ 24.75 $ 51,480

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 14,900 27.84 $ 24.14 $ 50,210
Waste Treatment and Disposal 1,880 1.91 $ 27.38 $ 56,950
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 89,280 1.65 $ 25.02 $ 52,050
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services 720 0.45 $ 27.17 $ 56,510
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills 370 0.41 $ 26.34 $ 54,780

Top paying industries for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 40 0.01 $ 37.65 $ 78,300
Management of Companies and Enterprises 100 (7) $ 37.56 $ 78,120
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 90 0.02 $ 36.12 $ 75,130
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 830 0.04 $ 30.22 $ 62,860
Metal Ore Mining 60 0.14 $ 30.02 $ 62,430


Geographic profile for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 10,850 0.66 0.77 $ 36.33 $ 75,570
Texas 10,110 0.84 0.97 $ 19.85 $ 41,290
Florida 7,710 0.91 1.06 $ 23.40 $ 48,660
Pennsylvania 5,700 1.03 1.20 $ 26.43 $ 54,970
New York 5,310 0.61 0.71 $ 30.87 $ 64,220




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Idaho 1,640 2.28 2.66 $ 23.28 $ 48,410
West Virginia 1,170 1.79 2.09 $ 18.37 $ 38,200
South Dakota 730 1.77 2.07 $ 22.03 $ 45,830
Wyoming 460 1.77 2.06 $ 24.89 $ 51,770
New Mexico 1,270 1.62 1.88 $ 20.61 $ 42,860




Top paying states for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 10,850 0.66 0.77 $ 36.33 $ 75,570
Nevada (8) (8) (8) $ 33.44 $ 69,550
Washington 2,290 0.72 0.83 $ 32.43 $ 67,460
Connecticut 900 0.58 0.68 $ 32.09 $ 66,740
Alaska 450 1.54 1.79 $ 31.82 $ 66,190





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

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 3,920 0.44 0.52 $ 35.75 $ 74,350
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,540 0.58 0.68 $ 31.12 $ 64,720
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,310 0.40 0.46 $ 38.62 $ 80,330
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 2,030 1.56 1.81 $ 20.30 $ 42,230
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,790 0.60 0.70 $ 21.92 $ 45,590
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 1,780 0.66 0.77 $ 28.56 $ 59,400
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,660 0.46 0.54 $ 21.73 $ 45,190
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 1,480 0.49 0.57 $ 28.97 $ 60,250
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 1,470 0.99 1.15 $ 34.48 $ 71,710
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 1,430 0.57 0.67 $ 25.13 $ 52,270




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hinesville, GA 100 5.57 6.49 $ 20.02 $ 41,650
Idaho Falls, ID 290 4.19 4.88 (8) (8)
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 190 3.71 4.32 $ 20.17 $ 41,960
Yuma, AZ 210 3.42 3.99 $ 20.96 $ 43,610
Farmington, NM 140 3.29 3.84 $ 18.21 $ 37,880
Cumberland, MD-WV 110 3.17 3.70 $ 19.09 $ 39,710
Corpus Christi, TX 540 2.97 3.46 $ 18.87 $ 39,240
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH 90 2.72 3.17 $ 21.04 $ 43,760
Las Cruces, NM 180 2.57 2.99 $ 19.40 $ 40,340
Jacksonville, NC 120 2.56 2.98 $ 23.33 $ 48,520




Top paying metropolitan areas for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,010 0.44 0.51 $ 47.66 $ 99,130
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 410 0.38 0.44 $ 43.14 $ 89,730
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 140 1.03 1.20 $ 41.39 $ 86,080
Napa, CA 60 0.91 1.06 $ 39.01 $ 81,130
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,310 0.40 0.46 $ 38.62 $ 80,330
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 330 0.37 0.43 $ 38.49 $ 80,060
Santa Rosa, CA 210 1.09 1.27 $ 38.42 $ 79,910
Salinas, CA 330 1.91 2.23 $ 38.39 $ 79,860
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 640 0.66 0.77 $ 38.21 $ 79,470
Anchorage, AK (8) (8) (8) $ 37.55 $ 78,100

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 730 1.94 2.26 $ 16.64 $ 34,620
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 680 2.54 2.96 $ 17.75 $ 36,910
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 620 3.24 3.77 $ 17.65 $ 36,720
Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 560 3.14 3.66 $ 22.54 $ 46,880
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 490 2.56 2.98 $ 19.99 $ 41,580

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area 370 5.51 6.42 $ 20.60 $ 42,840
West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 280 4.81 5.60 $ 20.97 $ 43,610
Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area 260 4.13 4.82 $ 20.15 $ 41,920
Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 280 4.09 4.77 $ 18.57 $ 38,620
East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area 250 3.96 4.62 (8) (8)

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 170 3.10 3.61 $ 32.91 $ 68,450
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $ 29.46 $ 61,270
Alaska nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $ 29.32 $ 60,990
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 250 2.56 2.99 $ 28.99 $ 60,290
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 100 1.70 1.98 $ 28.51 $ 59,310


About May 2020 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.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(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 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021