Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012

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)
108,440 1.1 % $21.46 $44,630 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $12.43 $15.91 $20.56 $26.27 $32.60
Annual Wage (2) $25,850 $33,080 $42,760 $54,650 $67,810

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) 84,690 1.55 $21.38 $44,470
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 12,470 26.13 $21.03 $43,740
Waste Treatment and Disposal 1,390 1.44 $21.78 $45,300
State Government (OES Designation) 1,030 0.05 $30.96 $64,400
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 760 0.06 $24.21 $50,360

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 12,470 26.13 $21.03 $43,740
Local Government (OES Designation) 84,690 1.55 $21.38 $44,470
Waste Treatment and Disposal 1,390 1.44 $21.78 $45,300
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills 370 0.35 $21.26 $44,220
Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing 250 0.28 $18.41 $38,300

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Metal Ore Mining 50 0.12 $31.45 $65,420
State Government (OES Designation) 1,030 0.05 $30.96 $64,400
Scientific Research and Development Services 90 0.01 $29.86 $62,110
Basic Chemical Manufacturing 90 0.06 $26.79 $55,720
Facilities Support Services 80 0.07 $26.35 $54,800

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 10,410 0.73 0.87 $30.96 $64,400
Texas 8,970 0.85 1.02 $16.59 $34,500
Pennsylvania 5,950 1.06 1.28 $21.64 $45,000
Florida 5,410 0.74 0.89 $21.37 $44,440
Ohio 4,490 0.89 1.07 $21.09 $43,860




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 760 2.39 2.87 $27.23 $56,640
West Virginia 1,460 2.05 2.47 $14.75 $30,680
Montana 700 1.62 1.95 $17.94 $37,310
South Dakota 640 1.60 1.92 $18.10 $37,640
Idaho 900 1.51 1.81 $18.08 $37,600




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 10,410 0.73 0.87 $30.96 $64,400
District of Columbia 350 0.54 0.64 $27.82 $57,870
Washington 1,710 0.62 0.75 $27.25 $56,690
Alaska 760 2.39 2.87 $27.23 $56,640
Connecticut 1,080 0.67 0.80 $27.10 $56,360





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)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 1,690 0.33 0.39 $30.64 $63,720
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 1,560 0.40 0.48 $34.56 $71,890
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 1,440 0.40 0.47 $28.91 $60,130
Pittsburgh, PA 1,410 1.25 1.51 $22.72 $47,260
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 1,400 0.77 0.92 $24.40 $50,750
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,290 0.62 0.74 $18.06 $37,560
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 1,270 0.73 0.88 $22.22 $46,210
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 1,170 0.50 0.60 $25.10 $52,210
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,140 0.65 0.78 $25.16 $52,330
St. Louis, MO-IL 1,110 0.87 1.05 $21.02 $43,710