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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

43-5041 Meter Readers, Utilities

Read meter and record consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam.


National estimates for Meter Readers, Utilities
Industry profile for Meter Readers, Utilities
Geographic profile for Meter Readers, Utilities

National estimates for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
26,490 3.5 % $ 22.19 $ 46,160 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 12.69 $ 15.43 $ 20.16 $ 28.10 $ 35.37
Annual Wage (2) $ 26,390 $ 32,090 $ 41,940 $ 58,440 $ 73,570


Industry profile for Meter Readers, Utilities:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Meter Readers, Utilities:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 11,170 0.21 $ 20.87 $ 43,410
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 6,110 1.61 $ 27.28 $ 56,750
Other Support Services 3,850 1.29 $ 17.75 $ 36,920
Natural Gas Distribution 2,460 2.28 $ 24.57 $ 51,100
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 1,840 3.44 $ 20.17 $ 41,960

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Meter Readers, Utilities:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 1,840 3.44 $ 20.17 $ 41,960
Natural Gas Distribution 2,460 2.28 $ 24.57 $ 51,100
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 6,110 1.61 $ 27.28 $ 56,750
Other Support Services 3,850 1.29 $ 17.75 $ 36,920
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 11,170 0.21 $ 20.87 $ 43,410

Top paying industries for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 6,110 1.61 $ 27.28 $ 56,750
Natural Gas Distribution 2,460 2.28 $ 24.57 $ 51,100
Management of Companies and Enterprises 260 0.01 $ 24.21 $ 50,350
Utility System Construction 150 0.03 $ 22.64 $ 47,100
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 11,170 0.21 $ 20.87 $ 43,410


Geographic profile for Meter Readers, Utilities:

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





States with the highest employment level in Meter Readers, Utilities:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 2,480 0.21 1.08 $ 18.04 $ 37,520
Ohio 1,850 0.36 1.89 $ 22.40 $ 46,590
Florida 1,420 0.17 0.88 $ 20.15 $ 41,910
Georgia 1,210 0.28 1.48 $ 19.85 $ 41,290
Illinois 1,180 0.21 1.11 $ 25.76 $ 53,570




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Meter Readers, Utilities:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Virginia 540 0.83 4.37 $ 19.64 $ 40,850
Louisiana 1,140 0.63 3.33 $ 14.45 $ 30,060
Kentucky 970 0.54 2.86 $ 18.99 $ 39,500
Mississippi 460 0.43 2.25 $ 17.01 $ 35,380
Ohio 1,850 0.36 1.89 $ 22.40 $ 46,590




Top paying states for Meter Readers, Utilities:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts 510 0.15 0.81 $ 32.39 $ 67,380
Alaska 40 0.14 0.71 $ 31.83 $ 66,210
Colorado 320 0.12 0.65 $ 30.88 $ 64,230
Connecticut 100 0.06 0.33 $ 30.75 $ 63,960
California 1,150 0.07 0.37 $ 30.39 $ 63,210





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Meter Readers, Utilities:

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 1,420 0.16 0.84 $ 30.06 $ 62,520
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 770 0.22 1.13 $ 18.26 $ 37,980
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 730 0.17 0.88 $ 29.18 $ 60,700
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 540 0.26 1.35 $ 26.25 $ 54,600
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 450 0.87 4.59 $ 14.35 $ 29,850
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 440 0.16 0.86 $ 27.70 $ 57,620
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 420 0.16 0.84 $ 22.48 $ 46,760
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 410 0.14 0.73 $ 16.45 $ 34,220
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 390 0.15 0.79 $ 33.05 $ 68,750
Cleveland-Elyria, OH 370 0.37 1.97 $ 25.24 $ 52,500




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Meter Readers, Utilities:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Beckley, WV 110 2.64 13.86 $ 16.47 $ 34,260
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 170 1.11 5.81 $ 17.61 $ 36,630
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH 40 1.04 5.45 (8) (8)
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 30 1.02 5.37 $ 16.36 $ 34,040
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 450 0.87 4.59 $ 14.35 $ 29,850
Owensboro, KY 40 0.86 4.49 (8) (8)
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 40 0.85 4.48 $ 20.88 $ 43,420
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY 40 0.80 4.19 $ 19.38 $ 40,310
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 90 0.74 3.89 $ 16.63 $ 34,590
Wheeling, WV-OH 40 0.66 3.47 $ 20.10 $ 41,820




Top paying metropolitan areas for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 90 0.04 0.21 $ 40.65 $ 84,560
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA (8) (8) (8) $ 36.66 $ 76,260
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 50 0.04 0.22 $ 34.34 $ 71,420
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 90 0.10 0.51 $ 34.31 $ 71,360
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 390 0.15 0.79 $ 33.05 $ 68,750
Springfield, MA-CT (8) (8) (8) $ 32.62 $ 67,850
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 150 0.10 0.53 $ 32.29 $ 67,170
Fort Collins, CO 40 0.27 1.44 $ 31.02 $ 64,530
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 110 0.08 0.42 $ 30.11 $ 62,630
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,420 0.16 0.84 $ 30.06 $ 62,520

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Meter Readers, Utilities:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 220 1.40 7.34 $ 15.05 $ 31,300
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 140 0.64 3.37 $ 18.72 $ 38,940
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 120 1.01 5.28 $ 16.15 $ 33,590
West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area 110 0.68 3.55 $ 16.20 $ 33,690
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 110 0.55 2.87 $ 19.95 $ 41,490

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Meter Readers, Utilities:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 220 1.40 7.34 $ 15.05 $ 31,300
Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 80 1.12 5.88 $ 11.21 $ 23,320
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 120 1.01 5.28 $ 16.15 $ 33,590
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 90 0.89 4.66 $ 16.12 $ 33,530
Southwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 60 0.84 4.39 $ 13.21 $ 27,480

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Meter Readers, Utilities:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $ 30.35 $ 63,120
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 30 0.35 1.85 $ 26.19 $ 54,480
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 50 0.50 2.65 $ 25.98 $ 54,040
Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 30 0.24 1.27 $ 24.98 $ 51,970
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 90 0.29 1.54 $ 24.94 $ 51,870


About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021