Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
SOC code 51-8031 · Production Occupations
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,110 | $18.80 |
| 25th percentile | $48,040 | $23.10 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $60,020 | $28.86 |
| 75th percentile | $74,780 | $35.95 |
| 90th percentile | $91,060 | $43.78 |
See where a wage ranks
Estimate only, based on linear interpolation between this occupation's BLS OEWS reported percentiles above.
Wages by state (May 2024)
State-level employment and wage estimates for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators (SOC 51-8031), from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) State estimates, May 2024. Data available for 50 of 51 states/DC for this occupation.
| State | Employment | Mean annual | Median annual | 10th pctl annual | 25th pctl annual | 75th pctl annual | 90th pctl annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2,950 | $50,810 | $48,730 | $31,900 | $37,970 | $60,230 | $76,350 |
| Alaska | 570 | $78,240 | $76,910 | $49,580 | $54,860 | $94,310 | $103,340 |
| Arizona | 3,470 | $58,490 | $61,480 | $40,170 | $48,290 | $65,560 | $77,450 |
| Arkansas | 2,240 | $42,130 | $38,310 | $29,060 | $34,770 | $47,700 | $58,930 |
| California | 11,260 | $86,500 | $82,100 | $52,510 | $64,850 | $102,510 | $123,870 |
| Colorado | 2,410 | $69,130 | $68,220 | $48,440 | $58,110 | $80,330 | $89,910 |
| Connecticut | 750 | $74,560 | $74,450 | $53,510 | $61,710 | $87,790 | $96,880 |
| Delaware | 250 | $59,860 | $59,960 | $43,800 | $47,780 | $66,010 | $79,320 |
| Florida | 7,560 | $61,550 | $58,630 | $39,640 | $47,310 | $68,630 | $89,620 |
| Georgia | 2,880 | $50,930 | $49,370 | $36,070 | $40,180 | $60,680 | $68,080 |
| Hawaii | 660 | $64,500 | $65,800 | $50,500 | $55,200 | $70,390 | $81,990 |
| Idaho | 1,110 | $54,390 | $53,250 | $39,540 | $45,870 | $60,400 | $71,720 |
| Illinois | 3,870 | $69,250 | $63,790 | $45,460 | $55,210 | $81,470 | $98,820 |
| Indiana | 3,300 | $56,030 | $55,170 | $40,940 | $48,240 | $61,230 | $73,170 |
| Iowa | 2,460 | $58,580 | $59,400 | $45,650 | $48,510 | $65,330 | $73,960 |
| Kansas | 1,430 | $48,050 | $47,950 | $33,840 | $39,550 | $54,950 | $64,750 |
| Kentucky | 3,150 | $48,910 | $47,700 | $33,730 | $38,170 | $57,730 | $62,710 |
| Louisiana | 2,230 | $43,440 | $38,690 | $29,760 | $34,140 | $49,120 | $61,350 |
| Maine | 660 | $59,350 | $60,960 | $42,400 | $47,710 | $65,720 | $81,270 |
| Maryland | 1,630 | $61,920 | $58,740 | $40,750 | $48,250 | $73,110 | $94,920 |
| Massachusetts | 2,480 | $67,650 | $65,620 | $49,660 | $59,260 | $76,020 | $82,150 |
| Michigan | 2,720 | $58,340 | $58,470 | $44,880 | $49,870 | $64,700 | $76,380 |
| Minnesota | 2,050 | $68,230 | $70,470 | $45,280 | $61,350 | $77,330 | $82,070 |
| Mississippi | 1,140 | $45,580 | $44,970 | $29,680 | $35,450 | $56,640 | $61,960 |
| Missouri | 2,700 | $53,900 | $52,990 | $37,480 | $45,510 | $58,860 | $69,580 |
| Montana | 690 | $60,310 | $59,960 | $43,870 | $48,630 | $65,590 | $78,860 |
| Nebraska | 1,040 | $56,330 | $57,640 | $38,300 | $49,080 | $63,340 | $73,560 |
| Nevada | — | $81,990 | $79,140 | $54,380 | $64,000 | $95,210 | $107,490 |
| New Hampshire | 930 | $65,300 | $66,240 | $49,460 | $60,520 | $72,580 | $72,580 |
| New Jersey | 2,040 | $75,070 | $75,200 | $49,440 | $62,430 | $85,570 | $97,820 |
| New Mexico | 2,180 | $51,540 | $46,680 | $34,980 | $37,560 | $59,320 | $77,150 |
| New York | 5,270 | $68,160 | $63,140 | $46,340 | $51,450 | $80,450 | $98,950 |
| North Carolina | 3,420 | $52,800 | $49,710 | $37,460 | $42,810 | $60,830 | $70,750 |
| North Dakota | 660 | $61,050 | $58,250 | $49,570 | $50,390 | $72,970 | $80,470 |
| Ohio | 5,550 | $57,850 | $58,720 | $42,050 | $48,700 | $63,970 | $75,290 |
| Oklahoma | 2,750 | $44,230 | $41,380 | $32,700 | $36,250 | $49,380 | $60,190 |
| Oregon | 1,170 | $68,170 | $64,500 | $47,440 | $57,600 | $79,640 | $92,490 |
| Pennsylvania | 5,190 | $61,620 | $59,170 | $47,400 | $50,940 | $70,400 | $80,890 |
| Rhode Island | 360 | $59,820 | $57,060 | $49,930 | $51,180 | $62,450 | $79,450 |
| South Carolina | 2,800 | $52,820 | $49,480 | $36,030 | $42,730 | $62,150 | $72,430 |
| South Dakota | 1,040 | $56,830 | $54,090 | $43,000 | $47,230 | $62,900 | $74,220 |
| Tennessee | 3,090 | $53,490 | $50,760 | $37,330 | $43,230 | $61,690 | $73,780 |
| Texas | 10,340 | $50,220 | $48,110 | $35,660 | $39,950 | $58,830 | $65,660 |
| Utah | 1,750 | $60,070 | $59,120 | $42,200 | $48,740 | $67,190 | $79,140 |
| Vermont | 340 | $63,260 | $61,530 | $47,000 | $51,620 | $75,780 | $77,890 |
| Virginia | 3,390 | $58,960 | $58,920 | $38,480 | $46,800 | $70,470 | $79,180 |
| Washington | 1,950 | $78,520 | $78,810 | $54,990 | $64,880 | $92,520 | $101,450 |
| West Virginia | 1,210 | $44,150 | $43,960 | $28,490 | $36,460 | $50,110 | $62,390 |
| Wisconsin | 2,110 | $62,420 | $62,360 | $49,410 | $54,000 | $69,570 | $76,560 |
| Wyoming | 710 | $67,570 | $60,580 | $43,110 | $50,140 | $77,520 | $104,000 |
Hourly by-state wages are in the source dataset but not rendered here (annual only, to keep this table a manageable width); see the source link below for the full file. BLS suppresses some state-level figures for reliability: an em dash (—) means BLS did not publish that figure for this state and occupation. Per BLS’s own field definitions: "*" = a wage estimate is not available; "**" = an employment estimate is not available; "#" = a wage equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year (all three are shown here as —, not guessed). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), State occupational employment and wage estimates, May 2024.
Similar-paying occupations in Production Occupations
- Machinists 51-4041$58,750/yr
- Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders 51-9011$58,040/yr
- Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic 51-4062$58,000/yr
- Plant and System Operators, All Other 51-8099$62,470/yr
- Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters 51-2061$62,620/yr
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 estimates. Wage figures are BLS OEWS estimates and may not reflect current pay.