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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2017
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:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 117,450 |
1.0 % |
$23.22 |
$48,290 |
0.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$13.42 |
$17.10 |
$22.19 |
$28.33 |
$35.30 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$27,910 |
$35,560 |
$46,150 |
$58,930 |
$73,410 |
Industry profile for this occupation:
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) |
90,560 |
1.66 |
$23.36 |
$48,580 |
| Water, Sewage and Other Systems |
13,060 |
26.03 |
$22.16 |
$46,080 |
| Waste Treatment and Disposal |
2,680 |
2.81 |
$22.99 |
$47,810 |
| Animal Slaughtering and Processing |
820 |
0.16 |
$18.04 |
$37,520 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
660 |
0.05 |
$23.75 |
$49,410 |
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 |
13,060 |
26.03 |
$22.16 |
$46,080 |
| Waste Treatment and Disposal |
2,680 |
2.81 |
$22.99 |
$47,810 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
90,560 |
1.66 |
$23.36 |
$48,580 |
| Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills |
480 |
0.50 |
$23.76 |
$49,410 |
| Remediation and Other Waste Management Services |
420 |
0.30 |
$21.93 |
$45,610 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
Geographic profile for this occupation:
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 |
11,330 |
0.68 |
0.82 |
$33.58 |
$69,850 |
| Texas |
10,630 |
0.89 |
1.09 |
$18.84 |
$39,190 |
| Florida |
5,790 |
0.69 |
0.83 |
$23.01 |
$47,870 |
| Pennsylvania |
5,330 |
0.92 |
1.12 |
$23.53 |
$48,950 |
| Ohio |
4,860 |
0.91 |
1.10 |
$23.02 |
$47,890 |
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) |
| South Dakota |
890 |
2.13 |
2.58 |
$19.92 |
$41,440 |
| Arkansas |
2,410 |
2.01 |
2.44 |
$16.75 |
$34,840 |
| Alaska |
640 |
2.01 |
2.43 |
$30.76 |
$63,970 |
| West Virginia |
1,300 |
1.88 |
2.29 |
$17.49 |
$36,390 |
| Wyoming |
490 |
1.84 |
2.24 |
$25.71 |
$53,480 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
11,330 |
0.68 |
0.82 |
$33.58 |
$69,850 |
| Alaska |
640 |
2.01 |
2.43 |
$30.76 |
$63,970 |
| Nevada |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$30.72 |
$63,910 |
| Connecticut |
1,060 |
0.64 |
0.77 |
$30.67 |
$63,790 |
| Washington |
2,740 |
0.86 |
1.04 |
$29.42 |
$61,200 |
<
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) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division |
2,020 |
0.46 |
0.55 |
$35.00 |
$72,800 |
| New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division |
1,920 |
0.29 |
0.35 |
$30.79 |
$64,040 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
1,860 |
0.64 |
0.77 |
$20.54 |
$42,730 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
1,430 |
1.00 |
1.21 |
$32.35 |
$67,290 |
| Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division |
1,360 |
0.55 |
0.66 |
$19.33 |
$40,200 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
1,230 |
0.47 |
0.57 |
$20.90 |
$43,460 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
1,220 |
0.63 |
0.76 |
$27.35 |
$56,880 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division |
1,190 |
0.47 |
0.58 |
$26.60 |
$55,330 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division |
1,170 |
0.32 |
0.39 |
$32.65 |
$67,900 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC |
1,110 |
5.08 |
6.17 |
$23.35 |
$48,560 |
<
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC |
1,110 |
5.08 |
6.17 |
$23.35 |
$48,560 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH |
160 |
4.20 |
5.10 |
$17.73 |
$36,880 |
| Lewiston, ID-WA |
90 |
3.20 |
3.89 |
$22.34 |
$46,470 |
| Rocky Mount, NC |
170 |
3.12 |
3.79 |
$19.04 |
$39,610 |
| Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ |
90 |
2.81 |
3.41 |
$22.30 |
$46,390 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK |
300 |
2.74 |
3.32 |
$16.22 |
$33,730 |
| Evansville, IN-KY |
410 |
2.65 |
3.21 |
$17.55 |
$36,510 |
| Flagstaff, AZ |
150 |
2.45 |
2.97 |
$23.05 |
$47,930 |
| Yuba City, CA |
100 |
2.42 |
2.94 |
$29.28 |
$60,910 |
| Prescott, AZ |
150 |
2.39 |
2.90 |
$20.80 |
$43,270 |
|
United States Department of Labor
