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

53-7081 Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

Collect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck. May drive truck.

National estimates for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Industry profile for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Geographic profile for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

National estimates for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
126,050 1.5 % $ 20.57 $ 42,780 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 11.99 $ 14.56 $ 18.51 $ 23.50 $ 29.96
Annual Wage (2) $ 24,950 $ 30,270 $ 38,500 $ 48,870 $ 62,310

Industry profile for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Waste Collection 62,280 32.43 $ 20.20 $ 42,010
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 40,010 0.74 $ 20.87 $ 43,410
Waste Treatment and Disposal 14,000 14.28 $ 23.54 $ 48,970
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services 2,780 1.73 $ 20.70 $ 43,050
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 470 0.02 $ 26.86 $ 55,880

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Waste Collection 62,280 32.43 $ 20.20 $ 42,010
Waste Treatment and Disposal 14,000 14.28 $ 23.54 $ 48,970
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services 2,780 1.73 $ 20.70 $ 43,050
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 40,010 0.74 $ 20.87 $ 43,410
Vocational Rehabilitation Services 260 0.10 $ 12.72 $ 26,450

Top paying industries for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 470 0.02 $ 26.86 $ 55,880
Postal Service (federal government) 160 0.02 $ 26.21 $ 54,510
Waste Treatment and Disposal 14,000 14.28 $ 23.54 $ 48,970
Warehousing and Storage 60 (7) $ 21.47 $ 44,650
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 40,010 0.74 $ 20.87 $ 43,410

Geographic profile for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

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



Map of employment of refuse and recyclable material collectors by state, May 2021


States with the highest employment level in Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 13,830 0.84 0.94 $ 27.22 $ 56,610
Florida 10,520 1.22 1.37 $ 20.16 $ 41,930
Texas 9,120 0.75 0.83 $ 16.84 $ 35,040
New York 7,350 0.85 0.95 $ 30.74 $ 63,930
Ohio 5,780 1.11 1.24 $ 19.78 $ 41,140


Map of location quotient of refuse and recyclable material collectors by state, May 2021


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Arkansas 1,820 1.53 1.71 $ 15.36 $ 31,950
Oklahoma 2,100 1.35 1.50 $ 17.35 $ 36,090
Nebraska 1,280 1.33 1.49 $ 17.87 $ 37,170
Wyoming 340 1.30 1.45 $ 19.78 $ 41,140
Kentucky 2,380 1.29 1.44 $ 16.61 $ 34,550


Map of annual mean wages of refuse and recyclable material collectors by state, May 2021


Top paying states for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 7,350 0.85 0.95 $ 30.74 $ 63,930
Washington 2,890 0.90 1.01 $ 27.38 $ 56,950
California 13,830 0.84 0.94 $ 27.22 $ 56,610
Oregon 1,960 1.07 1.20 $ 25.53 $ 53,100
District of Columbia 520 0.78 0.87 $ 25.02 $ 52,050



Map of employment of refuse and recyclable material collectors by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

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 9,850 1.13 1.27 $ 28.70 $ 59,690
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 3,980 0.70 0.78 $ 26.23 $ 54,560
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 3,220 0.76 0.85 $ 24.97 $ 51,940
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 3,000 1.22 1.37 $ 21.79 $ 45,320
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 2,940 0.82 0.92 $ 16.50 $ 34,320
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 2,250 0.77 0.86 $ 18.75 $ 38,990
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 2,230 0.86 0.96 $ 18.32 $ 38,100
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,160 0.96 1.08 $ 33.40 $ 69,470
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 2,010 1.56 1.74 $ 20.96 $ 43,610
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 1,880 1.56 1.74 $ 17.95 $ 37,330