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Occupational Employment Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

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 this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
123,730 1.0 % $24.28 $50,490 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $13.87 $17.66 $22.96 $29.43 $37.31
Annual Wage (2) $28,850 $36,740 $47,760 $61,220 $77,600

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 92,910 1.68 $24.43 $50,810
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 14,770 27.75 $23.26 $48,380
Waste Treatment and Disposal 1,870 1.87 $27.23 $56,640
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 1,140 0.08 $23.64 $49,180
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 1,040 0.20 $19.86 $41,300

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 14,770 27.75 $23.26 $48,380
Waste Treatment and Disposal 1,870 1.87 $27.23 $56,640
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 92,910 1.68 $24.43 $50,810
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services 880 0.55 $25.95 $53,980
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills 350 0.37 $25.14 $52,290

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Management of Companies and Enterprises 140 0.01 $37.30 $77,580
Scientific Research and Development Services 40 0.01 $37.20 $77,380
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 110 0.02 $34.64 $72,050
Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing (8) (8) $34.25 $71,240
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 820 0.04 $29.14 $60,620

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

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





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 11,400 0.66 0.78 $35.86 $74,590
Texas 10,880 0.87 1.04 $19.41 $40,370
Florida 7,610 0.87 1.03 $22.79 $47,400
Pennsylvania 5,330 0.90 1.07 $25.35 $52,730
New York 5,140 0.54 0.64 $29.85 $62,080




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Virginia 1,420 2.02 2.39 $18.66 $38,820
Idaho 1,450 1.99 2.36 $22.09 $45,940
Arkansas 2,400 1.97 2.34 $17.12 $35,600
Wyoming 530 1.94 2.30 $24.79 $51,560
South Dakota 820 1.93 2.29 $21.11 $43,900




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 11,400 0.66 0.78 $35.86 $74,590
Nevada (8) (8) (8) $32.68 $67,970
Connecticut 1,050 0.63 0.75 $32.62 $67,840
Alaska 500 1.58 1.87 $31.47 $65,470
Washington 2,670 0.80 0.96 $31.31 $65,120





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

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 4,230 0.44 0.52 $33.38 $69,440
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,610 0.42 0.50 $39.06 $81,250
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,450 0.52 0.62 $30.80 $64,060
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 2,210 0.72 0.86 $21.69 $45,110
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 2,060 1.54 1.83 $19.46 $40,470
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,970 0.54 0.64 $20.78 $43,220
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 1,770 0.62 0.73 $27.99 $58,220
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 1,460 0.95 1.13 $34.24 $71,230
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 1,460 0.46 0.55 $27.84 $57,910
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 1,450 0.53 0.63 $21.59 $44,900