Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2015

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)
114,770 1.1 % $22.49 $46,790 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $13.04 $16.67 $21.53 $27.41 $34.10
Annual Wage (2) $27,120 $34,670 $44,790 $57,010 $70,940

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) 88,850 1.66 $22.39 $46,570
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 13,280 27.39 $22.04 $45,850
Waste Treatment and Disposal 2,290 2.44 $26.54 $55,210
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills 640 0.63 $24.41 $50,760
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 640 0.16 $26.11 $54,300

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 13,280 27.39 $22.04 $45,850
Waste Treatment and Disposal 2,290 2.44 $26.54 $55,210
Local Government (OES Designation) 88,850 1.66 $22.39 $46,570
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills 640 0.63 $24.41 $50,760
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services 360 0.26 $22.77 $47,360

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel 50 0.08 $29.10 $60,530
Metal Ore Mining 90 0.21 $28.98 $60,270
Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (8) (8) $27.75 $57,720
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 220 0.04 $27.73 $57,670
Amusement Parks and Arcades (8) (8) $27.42 $57,040

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 11,400 0.74 0.88 $31.58 $65,680
Texas 10,200 0.88 1.06 $17.89 $37,200
Florida 5,660 0.71 0.86 $22.42 $46,630
Pennsylvania 5,640 0.99 1.19 $22.95 $47,740
Ohio 4,740 0.90 1.08 $21.42 $44,550




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)
West Virginia 1,400 1.98 2.38 $16.55 $34,420
South Dakota 800 1.92 2.31 $19.64 $40,850
Alaska 600 1.84 2.21 $28.36 $58,990
Arkansas 1,800 1.53 1.84 $15.70 $32,650
Idaho 910 1.42 1.71 $19.19 $39,920




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 11,400 0.74 0.88 $31.58 $65,680
Washington 2,220 0.74 0.89 $30.59 $63,620
Nevada 650 0.53 0.64 $29.59 $61,540
Connecticut 1,180 0.71 0.85 $29.43 $61,210
Alaska 600 1.84 2.21 $28.36 $58,990





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 2,290 0.56 0.67 $36.54 $76,010
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 2,230 0.34 0.41 $29.87 $62,130
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 1,460 0.41 0.49 $29.87 $62,140
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,450 0.49 0.59 $17.92 $37,260
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 1,410 1.04 1.25 $27.49 $57,170
Pittsburgh, PA 1,260 1.11 1.34 $24.38 $50,710
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,250 0.54 0.65 $19.59 $40,740
St. Louis, MO-IL 1,230 0.93 1.12 $22.43 $46,660
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,190 0.63 0.76 $25.46 $52,950
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 1,170 0.89 1.07 $30.28 $62,980




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 160 3.88 4.66 $16.93 $35,210
New Bern, NC 160 3.79 4.55 $22.68 $47,180
Yuba City, CA 140 3.75 4.50 $26.00 $54,090
Jacksonville, NC 150 3.36 4.04 $20.68 $43,000
Wichita Falls, TX 180 3.19 3.83 $15.34 $31,910
Cumberland, MD-WV 110 2.99 3.60 $18.50 $38,490
Flagstaff, AZ 170 2.93 3.52 $20.96 $43,600
Texarkana, TX-AR 160 2.87 3.45 $15.43 $32,090
Lewiston, ID-WA 70 2.68 3.22 $21.55 $44,830
Battle Creek, MI 140 2.63 3.16 $20.23 $42,070




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 600 0.57 0.68 $41.36 $86,030
San Rafael, CA Metropolitan Division (8) (8) (8) $37.15 $77,260
Santa Rosa, CA 200 1.09 1.31 $36.63 $76,190
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 2,290 0.56 0.67 $36.54 $76,010
San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division 260 0.26 0.31 $35.55 $73,950
Fairbanks, AK 40 0.96 1.16 $35.50 $73,850
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 450 0.44 0.53 $35.22 $73,260
Anchorage, AK 100 0.59 0.71 $35.21 $73,240
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 500 0.33 0.40 $34.49 $71,740
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 580 0.38 0.45 $34.16 $71,050

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)
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 860 4.36 5.24 $16.53 $34,380
Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area 540 4.28 5.15 $18.39 $38,250
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 530 2.60 3.13 $20.15 $41,910
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 500 1.52 1.82 $20.85 $43,370
North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 490 4.23 5.08 $13.71 $28,520

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)
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 200 5.09 6.12 $26.65 $55,430
Balance of Alaska nonmetropolitan area 380 4.95 5.94 $26.17 $54,440
West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 300 4.93 5.93 $18.82 $39,150
Southwest Idaho nonmetropolitan area 90 4.77 5.73 $15.30 $31,820
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 860 4.36 5.24 $16.53 $34,380

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)
North Nevada nonmetropolitan area 100 2.41 2.90 $28.86 $60,020
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $27.69 $57,590
Southwest Washington nonmetropolitan area 170 2.73 3.28 $27.26 $56,700
Central Washington nonmetropolitan area 80 2.56 3.08 $26.99 $56,140
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 200 5.09 6.12 $26.65 $55,430

About May 2015 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 2015 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2015 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2015 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2015 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2015 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 30, 2016