Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

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: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
115,840 1.1 % $23.04 $47,930 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $13.25 $16.96 $22.00 $28.09 $35.15
Annual Wage (2) $27,550 $35,270 $45,760 $58,420 $73,120


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

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 (OES Designation) 89,020 1.65 $23.05 $47,940
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 13,500 27.36 $22.55 $46,900
Waste Treatment and Disposal 2,490 2.63 $22.69 $47,200
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 730 0.15 $17.86 $37,150
State Government (OES Designation) 670 0.03 $26.56 $55,250

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 13,500 27.36 $22.55 $46,900
Waste Treatment and Disposal 2,490 2.63 $22.69 $47,200
Local Government (OES Designation) 89,020 1.65 $23.05 $47,940
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills 620 0.62 $24.97 $51,930
Metal Ore Mining 110 0.28 $28.01 $58,270

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 120 0.02 $33.99 $70,700
Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing 40 0.04 $29.58 $61,520
Oil and Gas Extraction (8) (8) $28.96 $60,240
Miscellaneous Durable Goods Merchant Wholesalers (8) (8) $28.49 $59,250
Amusement Parks and Arcades (8) (8) $28.47 $59,220


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

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 11,280 0.71 0.86 $33.30 $69,250
Texas 10,030 0.85 1.03 $18.39 $38,240
Florida 5,800 0.71 0.85 $22.72 $47,250
Pennsylvania 5,500 0.96 1.16 $23.55 $48,990
Ohio 4,770 0.89 1.08 $22.49 $46,790




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 880 2.10 2.54 $19.69 $40,950
Alaska 680 2.10 2.55 $29.60 $61,570
West Virginia 1,240 1.78 2.16 $17.21 $35,800
Arkansas 1,950 1.64 1.99 $16.62 $34,570
South Carolina 3,200 1.61 1.96 $21.02 $43,730




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 11,280 0.71 0.86 $33.30 $69,250
Nevada 580 0.46 0.56 $30.69 $63,840
Connecticut 1,100 0.66 0.80 $30.16 $62,730
Washington 2,450 0.80 0.97 $29.71 $61,790
Alaska 680 2.10 2.55 $29.60 $61,570





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 2,180 0.52 0.63 $36.89 $76,720
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 2,020 0.31 0.37 $31.21 $64,910
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,460 0.50 0.60 $19.78 $41,140
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 1,330 0.37 0.44 $32.21 $66,990
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 1,330 0.53 0.65 $25.52 $53,090
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,240 0.51 0.62 $18.92 $39,350
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 1,190 0.87 1.06 $31.56 $65,650
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 1,130 0.44 0.54 $20.25 $42,120
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 1,080 0.78 0.94 $31.74 $66,030
Pittsburgh, PA 1,080 0.95 1.15 $25.76 $53,580




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)
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH 130 3.31 4.02 $17.42 $36,240
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 100 3.07 3.72 $20.84 $43,340
Cumberland, MD-WV 110 3.02 3.67 $18.99 $39,500
Wichita Falls, TX 160 2.84 3.44 $15.42 $32,060
Prescott, AZ 160 2.73 3.31 $21.66 $45,050
Jacksonville, NC 120 2.70 3.28 $22.22 $46,220
Rocky Mount, NC 140 2.54 3.08 $18.27 $38,010
Lewiston, ID-WA 70 2.53 3.06 $22.07 $45,910
New Bern, NC 110 2.52 3.06 (8) (8)
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 110 2.52 3.06 $30.75 $63,960




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Division 660 0.61 0.74 $43.32 $90,100
San Rafael, CA Metropolitan Division 150 1.37 1.66 $39.86 $82,920
Santa Rosa, CA 190 0.99 1.21 $37.84 $78,700
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 2,180 0.52 0.63 $36.89 $76,720
San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division 240 0.23 0.27 $36.85 $76,650
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 560 0.36 0.44 $36.55 $76,030
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 440 0.42 0.51 $36.27 $75,450
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 620 0.39 0.47 $34.57 $71,900
Fairbanks, AK 90 2.34 2.83 $34.33 $71,400
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 100 1.03 1.25 $34.32 $71,380

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Texas nonmetropolitan area 640 2.42 2.93 $16.72 $34,780
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 630 3.28 3.97 $16.69 $34,710
Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 530 2.93 3.55 $17.19 $35,750
West Texas nonmetropolitan area 510 2.60 3.15 $20.90 $43,470
North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 490 4.23 5.13 $15.10 $31,410

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 330 5.37 6.51 $18.53 $38,530
Southwest Idaho nonmetropolitan area 100 5.11 6.20 $15.60 $32,450
Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 300 5.02 6.09 $17.27 $35,920
Balance of Alaska nonmetropolitan area 370 5.00 6.06 $27.68 $57,570
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 190 4.80 5.81 $28.08 $58,410

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 160 2.48 3.01 $33.14 $68,930
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 190 4.80 5.81 $28.08 $58,410
Eastern Sierra Region of California nonmetropolitan area 30 2.52 3.06 $27.87 $57,970
Southwest Washington nonmetropolitan area 180 2.80 3.39 $27.76 $57,740
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 110 3.12 3.78 $27.71 $57,630


About May 2016 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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2016 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2017