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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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)
121,150 1.3 % $ 25.15 $ 52,320 0.5 %

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

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 14.46 $ 18.14 $ 23.02 $ 29.20 $ 37.10
Annual Wage (2) $ 30,070 $ 37,720 $ 47,880 $ 60,740 $ 77,170

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) 91,950 1.71 $ 25.12 $ 52,260
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 14,460 27.06 $ 24.38 $ 50,720
Waste Treatment and Disposal 1,760 1.80 $ 29.93 $ 62,250
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 1,040 0.20 $ 21.36 $ 44,430
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 830 0.04 $ 30.03 $ 62,460

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 14,460 27.06 $ 24.38 $ 50,720
Waste Treatment and Disposal 1,760 1.80 $ 29.93 $ 62,250
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 91,950 1.71 $ 25.12 $ 52,260
Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing 480 0.56 $ 19.02 $ 39,560
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills 390 0.45 $ 27.85 $ 57,930

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)
Natural Gas Distribution (8) (8) $ 43.82 $ 91,150
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 70 0.02 $ 40.37 $ 83,970
Management of Companies and Enterprises (8) (8) $ 38.37 $ 79,800
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 570 0.15 $ 35.86 $ 74,580
Metal Ore Mining 40 0.10 $ 32.78 $ 68,190

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.



Map of employment of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators by state, May 2021


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)
Texas 10,880 0.89 1.03 $ 19.83 $ 41,240
California 10,150 0.61 0.71 $ 35.14 $ 73,100
Florida 7,850 0.91 1.06 $ 23.15 $ 48,150
Pennsylvania 5,580 1.00 1.16 $ 26.64 $ 55,420
Illinois 4,850 0.86 1.00 $ 29.23 $ 60,800


Map of location quotient of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators by state, May 2021


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)
South Dakota 950 2.26 2.63 $ 23.04 $ 47,920
Alaska 590 2.00 2.33 $ 30.83 $ 64,120
Wyoming 520 1.98 2.31 $ 25.51 $ 53,050
West Virginia 1,300 1.97 2.29 $ 19.29 $ 40,110
Kentucky 3,540 1.92 2.24 $ 19.63 $ 40,830


Map of annual mean wages of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators by state, May 2021


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)
District of Columbia 230 0.35 0.41 $ 36.68 $ 76,300
Washington 2,110 0.66 0.76 $ 35.99 $ 74,860
Nevada 520 0.40 0.47 $ 35.75 $ 74,360
California 10,150 0.61 0.71 $ 35.14 $ 73,100
Connecticut 980 0.62 0.73 $ 33.21 $ 69,070



Map of employment of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators by area, May 2021


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 3,480 0.40 0.47 $ 35.00 $ 72,800
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 2,850 1.35 1.57 $ 25.16 $ 52,340
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,560 0.60 0.70 $ 32.28 $ 67,150
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,060 0.36 0.42 $ 35.70 $ 74,260
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 1,910 1.48 1.73 $ 20.94 $ 43,560
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 1,890 0.71 0.83 $ 28.70 $ 59,690
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,840 0.51 0.60 $ 22.00 $ 45,760
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,770 0.61 0.71 $ 21.74 $ 45,230
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 1,640 0.67 0.78 $ 25.49 $ 53,030
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,480 0.57 0.67 $ 30.76 $ 63,990


Map of location quotient of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators by area, May 2021


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)
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 310 5.82 6.77 $ 22.92 $ 47,680
Idaho Falls, ID 230 3.26 3.79 $ 34.66 $ 72,100
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH 110 3.07 3.57 $ 23.09 $ 48,030
Prescott, AZ 190 2.90 3.37 $ 22.92 $ 47,670
Pine Bluff, AR 80 2.83 3.29 $ 20.57 $ 42,780
Las Cruces, NM 180 2.62 3.05 $ 20.57 $ 42,790
Jacksonville, NC 120 2.57 2.99 $ 23.43 $ 48,740
Danville, IL 60 2.52 2.93 $ 19.70 $ 40,970
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL 130 2.50 2.91 $ 23.27 $ 48,400
Yuma, AZ 160 2.50 2.91 $ 21.87 $ 45,500