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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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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: Top

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: Top

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: Top

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