Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

53-7081 Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

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

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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: Top

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)
120,850	1.8 %	$ 20.49	$ 42,620	1.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 11.48	$ 14.51	$ 18.80	$ 24.77	$ 32.47
Annual Wage (2)	$ 23,880	$ 30,180	$ 39,100	$ 51,530	$ 67,530

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Industry profile for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors: Top

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	58,840	31.41	$ 19.71	$ 40,990
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation)	39,750	0.74	$ 21.58	$ 44,900
Waste Treatment and Disposal	13,510	13.79	$ 22.33	$ 46,450
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services	2,730	1.72	$ 18.16	$ 37,780
Employment Services	2,360	0.07	$ 14.86	$ 30,910

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	58,840	31.41	$ 19.71	$ 40,990
Waste Treatment and Disposal	13,510	13.79	$ 22.33	$ 46,450
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services	2,730	1.72	$ 18.16	$ 37,780
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation)	39,750	0.74	$ 21.58	$ 44,900
Other Support Services	290	0.10	$ 17.68	$ 36,770

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)	450	0.02	$ 27.14	$ 56,450
Postal Service (federal government)	160	0.02	$ 26.12	$ 54,340
Waste Treatment and Disposal	13,510	13.79	$ 22.33	$ 46,450
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only)	300	0.02	$ 22.05	$ 45,870
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation)	39,750	0.74	$ 21.58	$ 44,900

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Geographic profile for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors: Top

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.

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	13,950	0.85	0.98	$ 27.07	$ 56,300
New York	10,290	1.18	1.36	$ 29.54	$ 61,450
Texas	10,060	0.83	0.96	$ 17.21	$ 35,790
Florida	9,190	1.09	1.25	$ 19.33	$ 40,200
North Carolina	5,980	1.39	1.60	$ 15.19	$ 31,600

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	2,030	1.72	1.98	$ 15.21	$ 31,630
Wyoming	390	1.49	1.71	$ 18.64	$ 38,770
Alabama	2,670	1.40	1.61	$ 15.87	$ 33,010
North Carolina	5,980	1.39	1.60	$ 15.19	$ 31,600
Mississippi	1,340	1.24	1.43	$ 13.88	$ 28,870

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	10,290	1.18	1.36	$ 29.54	$ 61,450
Illinois	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 28.41	$ 59,090
Washington	3,160	0.99	1.14	$ 27.23	$ 56,640
California	13,950	0.85	0.98	$ 27.07	$ 56,300
Hawaii	610	1.07	1.23	$ 23.16	$ 48,170

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	10,150	1.15	1.32	$ 29.63	$ 61,640
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	4,270	0.73	0.84	$ 29.11	$ 60,550
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	3,400	0.95	1.09	$ 17.94	$ 37,310
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	2,490	0.99	1.14	$ 21.16	$ 44,000
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	2,330	1.00	1.15	(8)	(8)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	2,210	0.73	0.84	$ 24.74	$ 51,460
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	2,120	1.00	1.16	$ 19.97	$ 41,540
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	1,990	1.02	1.17	$ 28.71	$ 59,720
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	1,900	1.57	1.80	$ 16.76	$ 34,860
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	1,750	1.34	1.55	$ 19.93	$ 41,460

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

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Lewiston-Auburn, ME	130	2.79	3.21	$ 16.80	$ 34,940
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ	80	2.56	2.94	$ 16.70	$ 34,740
Lima, OH	110	2.30	2.64	$ 18.24	$ 37,930
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR	750	2.24	2.57	$ 16.38	$ 34,080
Ocala, FL	230	2.20	2.54	$ 14.89	$ 30,970
Greeley, CO	230	2.19	2.53	(8)	(8)
Mobile, AL	360	2.12	2.44	$ 15.51	$ 32,270
Rome, GA	80	2.05	2.36	$ 13.81	$ 28,720
Hot Springs, AR	70	1.99	2.29	$ 14.16	$ 29,460
Auburn-Opelika, AL	110	1.94	2.23	$ 17.59	$ 36,590