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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

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)
135,430 1.3 % $ 22.99 $ 47,810 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 14.45 $ 17.36 $ 22.00 $ 28.06 $ 32.68
Annual Wage (2) $ 30,050 $ 36,100 $ 45,760 $ 58,360 $ 67,970

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 68,300 32.77 $ 23.20 $ 48,260
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 38,470 0.70 $ 22.10 $ 45,970
Waste Treatment and Disposal 17,240 17.00 $ 26.06 $ 54,200
Employment Services 3,910 0.10 $ 16.56 $ 34,450
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services 3,140 1.74 $ 22.87 $ 47,580

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 68,300 32.77 $ 23.20 $ 48,260
Waste Treatment and Disposal 17,240 17.00 $ 26.06 $ 54,200
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services 3,140 1.74 $ 22.87 $ 47,580
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 38,470 0.70 $ 22.10 $ 45,970
Vocational Rehabilitation Services 380 0.14 $ 17.55 $ 36,490

Top paying industries for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Postal Service (Federal Government) 170 0.03 $ 29.37 $ 61,090
Waste Treatment and Disposal 17,240 17.00 $ 26.06 $ 54,200
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 510 0.02 $ 26.00 $ 54,090
Management of Companies and Enterprises (8) (8) $ 25.61 $ 53,270
Truck Transportation (8) (8) $ 25.61 $ 53,260

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 2023


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 12,700 0.71 0.79 $ 29.29 $ 60,920
Texas 10,800 0.80 0.89 $ 19.79 $ 41,170
Florida 10,590 1.11 1.24 $ 21.02 $ 43,720
New York 6,950 0.74 0.83 $ 29.08 $ 60,480
Pennsylvania 6,220 1.04 1.17 $ 22.35 $ 46,490


Map of location quotient of refuse and recyclable material collectors by state, May 2023


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)
Maine 1,060 1.70 1.90 $ 19.65 $ 40,860
Arkansas 1,980 1.56 1.74 $ 17.02 $ 35,400
West Virginia 1,000 1.46 1.63 $ 15.93 $ 33,140
New Mexico 1,210 1.43 1.61 $ 21.76 $ 45,260
South Carolina 3,120 1.40 1.57 $ 17.39 $ 36,180


Map of annual mean wages of refuse and recyclable material collectors by state, May 2023


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)
Illinois 4,990 0.83 0.93 $ 30.79 $ 64,040
Washington 3,890 1.11 1.25 $ 30.65 $ 63,740
California 12,700 0.71 0.79 $ 29.29 $ 60,920
New York 6,950 0.74 0.83 $ 29.08 $ 60,480
Oregon 1,580 0.82 0.91 $ 27.98 $ 58,200



Map of employment of refuse and recyclable material collectors by area, May 2023


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 9,890 1.04 1.17 $ 28.28 $ 58,810
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 3,440 0.76 0.86 $ 32.45 $ 67,500
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 3,400 0.55 0.62 $ 27.47 $ 57,140
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 3,040 1.12 1.25 $ 22.11 $ 46,000
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 2,790 0.70 0.79 $ 20.11 $ 41,820
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 2,500 0.89 1.00 $ 23.99 $ 49,910
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 2,420 0.85 0.96 $ 24.45 $ 50,850
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 2,410 0.78 0.87 $ 20.83 $ 43,320
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 2,250 1.08 1.21 $ 32.22 $ 67,020
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 2,010 1.06 1.19 $ 24.82 $ 51,630