Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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) |
| 24,000 |
2.8 % |
$ 22.81 |
$ 47,430 |
0.8 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Meter Readers, Utilities:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 13.80 |
$ 15.77 |
$ 21.98 |
$ 28.86 |
$ 36.50 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 28,690 |
$ 32,790 |
$ 45,720 |
$ 60,020 |
$ 75,920 |
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) |
11,100 |
0.21 |
$ 20.64 |
$ 42,920 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution |
5,250 |
1.40 |
$ 30.22 |
$ 62,870 |
| Other Support Services |
2,680 |
0.95 |
$ 17.36 |
$ 36,100 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1,960 |
1.79 |
$ 26.64 |
$ 55,420 |
| Water, Sewage and Other Systems |
1,530 |
2.86 |
$ 21.77 |
$ 45,280 |
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 |
1,530 |
2.86 |
$ 21.77 |
$ 45,280 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1,960 |
1.79 |
$ 26.64 |
$ 55,420 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution |
5,250 |
1.40 |
$ 30.22 |
$ 62,870 |
| Other Support Services |
2,680 |
0.95 |
$ 17.36 |
$ 36,100 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
11,100 |
0.21 |
$ 20.64 |
$ 42,920 |
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 |
5,250 |
1.40 |
$ 30.22 |
$ 62,870 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1,960 |
1.79 |
$ 26.64 |
$ 55,420 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
270 |
0.01 |
$ 26.10 |
$ 54,280 |
| Water, Sewage and Other Systems |
1,530 |
2.86 |
$ 21.77 |
$ 45,280 |
| Utility System Construction |
120 |
0.02 |
$ 21.36 |
$ 44,420 |
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) |
| Illinois |
1,790 |
0.32 |
1.87 |
$ 23.66 |
$ 49,220 |
| Texas |
1,680 |
0.14 |
0.81 |
$ 19.93 |
$ 41,450 |
| Florida |
1,560 |
0.18 |
1.07 |
$ 20.28 |
$ 42,180 |
| Georgia |
1,310 |
0.30 |
1.75 |
$ 21.84 |
$ 45,420 |
| New Jersey |
1,280 |
0.33 |
1.96 |
$ 26.29 |
$ 54,680 |
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 |
470 |
0.72 |
4.21 |
$ 21.50 |
$ 44,710 |
| New Mexico |
420 |
0.54 |
3.16 |
$ 19.13 |
$ 39,800 |
| Louisiana |
940 |
0.52 |
3.07 |
$ 15.96 |
$ 33,200 |
| Oklahoma |
590 |
0.38 |
2.24 |
$ 17.06 |
$ 35,490 |
| Kentucky |
660 |
0.36 |
2.11 |
$ 18.67 |
$ 38,830 |
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 |
410 |
0.12 |
0.70 |
$ 31.77 |
$ 66,080 |
| New York |
940 |
0.11 |
0.64 |
$ 30.48 |
$ 63,400 |
| California |
1,130 |
0.07 |
0.40 |
$ 29.17 |
$ 60,670 |
| Pennsylvania |
850 |
0.15 |
0.90 |
$ 28.90 |
$ 60,110 |
| Oregon |
170 |
0.09 |
0.55 |
$ 28.79 |
$ 59,880 |
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 |
1,490 |
0.17 |
1.01 |
$ 30.11 |
$ 62,630 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
870 |
0.21 |
1.21 |
$ 26.59 |
$ 55,300 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
620 |
0.24 |
1.40 |
$ 23.54 |
$ 48,970 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
500 |
0.19 |
1.09 |
$ 27.98 |
$ 58,190 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
480 |
0.23 |
1.34 |
$ 23.62 |
$ 49,130 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
350 |
0.14 |
0.85 |
$ 20.12 |
$ 41,840 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
310 |
0.11 |
0.63 |
$ 24.42 |
$ 50,790 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
300 |
0.12 |
0.68 |
$ 31.91 |
$ 66,380 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
290 |
0.05 |
0.30 |
$ 27.72 |
$ 57,650 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA |
290 |
0.57 |
3.34 |
$ 17.85 |
$ 37,140 |
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) |
| Wheeling, WV-OH |
50 |
0.93 |
5.47 |
$ 21.65 |
$ 45,030 |
| Beckley, WV |
30 |
0.86 |
5.04 |
$ 21.83 |
$ 45,410 |
| Monroe, LA |
60 |
0.82 |
4.79 |
$ 14.61 |
$ 30,400 |
| Peoria, IL |
120 |
0.74 |
4.37 |
$ 28.19 |
$ 58,640 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA |
120 |
0.72 |
4.23 |
$ 14.45 |
$ 30,050 |
| Charleston, WV |
60 |
0.65 |
3.82 |
$ 23.43 |
$ 48,730 |
| Morgantown, WV |
40 |
0.60 |
3.53 |
$ 23.42 |
$ 48,710 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH |
70 |
0.59 |
3.44 |
$ 21.33 |
$ 44,360 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA |
290 |
0.57 |
3.34 |
$ 17.85 |
$ 37,140 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY |
50 |
0.54 |
3.18 |
$ 19.18 |
$ 39,890 |
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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
40 |
0.03 |
0.19 |
$ 35.59 |
$ 74,040 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
70 |
0.03 |
0.18 |
$ 33.43 |
$ 69,530 |
| Springfield, MA-CT |
40 |
0.12 |
0.71 |
$ 32.46 |
$ 67,510 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
300 |
0.12 |
0.68 |
$ 31.91 |
$ 66,380 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
70 |
0.05 |
0.26 |
$ 30.85 |
$ 64,160 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
70 |
0.06 |
0.35 |
$ 30.78 |
$ 64,030 |
| Fort Collins, CO |
40 |
0.28 |
1.62 |
$ 30.64 |
$ 63,730 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
210 |
0.11 |
0.63 |
$ 30.35 |
$ 63,130 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
1,490 |
0.17 |
1.01 |
$ 30.11 |
$ 62,630 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
70 |
0.07 |
0.42 |
$ 29.18 |
$ 60,700 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Meter Readers, Utilities:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Meter Readers, Utilities:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Meter Readers, Utilities:
About May 2021 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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
