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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:
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) |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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