Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

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)
109,190 1.2 % $20.93 $43,530 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $12.21 $15.50 $20.09 $25.61 $31.46
Annual Wage (2) $25,400 $32,250 $41,780 $53,270 $65,430


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) 85,100 1.54 $20.75 $43,150
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 12,450 26.18 $20.38 $42,380
Waste Treatment and Disposal 2,120 2.21 (8) (8)
State Government (OES Designation) 1,240 0.05 $31.79 $66,110
Utility System Construction 770 0.19 $16.03 $33,340

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 12,450 26.18 $20.38 $42,380
Waste Treatment and Disposal 2,120 2.21 (8) (8)
Local Government (OES Designation) 85,100 1.54 $20.75 $43,150
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services 480 0.38 $18.72 $38,940
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills 360 0.33 $21.43 $44,580

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government (OES Designation) 1,240 0.05 $31.79 $66,110
Metal Ore Mining 50 0.14 $31.05 $64,590
Scientific Research and Development Services 120 0.02 $27.52 $57,240
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 620 0.03 $26.06 $54,210
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 100 0.04 $25.94 $53,950


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 9,920 0.71 0.83 $30.22 $62,860
Texas 9,770 0.95 1.11 $16.37 $34,050
Florida 5,600 0.78 0.92 $21.37 $44,440
Pennsylvania 5,580 1.01 1.18 $21.45 $44,620
Ohio 4,510 0.91 1.06 $20.81 $43,280




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)
Alaska 810 2.59 3.04 $25.39 $52,820
West Virginia 1,530 2.19 2.57 $13.88 $28,860
South Dakota 780 1.98 2.33 $18.12 $37,700
Idaho 920 1.56 1.83 $18.55 $38,590
South Carolina 2,620 1.48 1.74 (8) (8)




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 9,920 0.71 0.83 $30.22 $62,860
District of Columbia 400 0.62 0.73 $27.43 $57,050
Nevada 660 0.59 0.69 $27.19 $56,560
Washington 1,710 0.63 0.74 $26.41 $54,940
Connecticut 960 0.60 0.70 $26.03 $54,150





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 2,000 0.52 0.62 $34.51 $71,780
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 1,680 0.33 0.39 $25.55 $53,140
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 1,350 0.61 0.71 $19.36 $40,270
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 1,350 0.38 0.44 $28.03 $58,290
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,340 0.66 0.77 $18.33 $38,120
Pittsburgh, PA 1,240 1.12 1.31 $22.65 $47,120
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 1,200 0.66 0.78 $25.07 $52,150
St. Louis, MO-IL 1,110 0.88 1.03 $20.79 $43,250
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 1,070 0.46 0.54 $25.09 $52,180
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 1,070 0.42 0.49 $17.83 $37,080




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)
El Centro, CA 250 5.08 5.97 (8) (8)
Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV 170 3.96 4.65 $15.11 $31,420
Fairbanks, AK 130 3.73 4.39 $32.12 $66,810
Jacksonville, NC 150 3.37 3.96 $19.70 $40,970
Wichita Falls, TX 180 3.09 3.63 $14.58 $30,320
Merced, CA 170 2.89 3.39 $24.19 $50,320
Danville, IL 80 2.83 3.32 $16.48 $34,280
Cumberland, MD-WV 100 2.68 3.15 $16.42 $34,150
Corpus Christi, TX 470 2.66 3.12 $15.24 $31,710
Farmington, NM 120 2.48 2.92 $22.30 $46,380




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-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 380 0.40 0.47 $36.47 $75,850
Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA 890 1.10 1.30 $35.24 $73,290
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 2,000 0.52 0.62 $34.51 $71,780
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 230 1.33 1.56 $33.93 $70,580
Chico, CA 120 1.82 2.14 $32.83 $68,280
Fairbanks, AK 130 3.73 4.39 $32.12 $66,810
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 290 0.30 0.35 $31.64 $65,810
Anchorage, AK 80 0.45 0.53 $31.38 $65,270
Reno-Sparks, NV 140 0.76 0.89 $31.04 $64,550
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC (8) (8) (8) $30.90 $64,270

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)
Northwestern Texas nonmetropolitan area 930 3.74 4.40 $14.28 $29,700
West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area 700 3.88 4.55 $18.79 $39,070
Eastern Texas nonmetropolitan area 620 2.24 2.63 $15.20 $31,610
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 580 1.51 1.78 $14.84 $30,860
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area 520 7.23 8.49 $22.42 $46,630

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)
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area 520 7.23 8.49 $22.42 $46,630
Western South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 220 6.36 7.47 $17.03 $35,420
North Missouri nonmetropolitan area 460 5.26 6.19 $16.76 $34,860
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area 230 4.67 5.48 $21.87 $45,490
North Idaho nonmetropolitan area 210 4.61 5.41 $17.47 $36,340

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)
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 80 2.36 2.77 $27.66 $57,520
North Central Colorado nonmetropolitan area 90 1.30 1.53 $26.70 $55,540
Eastern Sierra Region of California nonmetropolitan area 30 2.25 2.64 $26.26 $54,620
North Central Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 40 1.63 1.91 $25.81 $53,680
Other Nevada nonmetropolitan area 130 2.46 2.89 $25.70 $53,450


About May 2011 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 mean 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 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012