Cargo and Freight Agents
Median $52,260
Occupation · SOC 43-5041
Meter Readers, Utilities: pay and where the jobs are
What meter readers, utilities earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$48,150 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $55,380
- Median hourly wage
- $23.15
- Mean hourly wage
- $26.63
- Employment
- 19,430
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-5041.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among meter readers, utilities nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do meter readers, utilities make?
The median annual wage for meter readers, utilities was $48,150 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $34,720 and the highest-paid 10% more than $85,930. As an hourly rate, the median is $23.15. About 19,430 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($79,040), Pennsylvania ($78,450) and Nevada ($76,120). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Pennsylvania.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for meter readers, utilities looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $34,720 | $16.69 | $2,893 | $2,506 |
| 25th percentile | $39,410 | $18.95 | $3,284 | $2,820 |
| Median | $48,150 | $23.15 | $4,013 | $3,406 |
| 75th percentile | $65,750 | $31.61 | $5,479 | $4,584 |
| 90th percentile | $85,930 | $41.31 | $7,161 | $5,773 |
Meter Readers, Utilities: pay by state
40 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$63,088 take-home in national prices
2
$62,394 take-home in national prices
3
$57,808 take-home in national prices
Where a median meter readers, utilitie paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 810 | $79,040 | $50,400 | $102,310 | $60,301 | $54,463 |
| Pennsylvania | 860 | $78,450 | $39,310 | $99,940 | $61,556 | $63,088 |
| Nevada | 160 | $76,120 | $36,000 | $99,790 | $62,380 | $62,394 |
| Minnesota | 120 | $73,930 | $40,150 | $86,910 | $57,011 | $57,808 |
| Colorado | 150 | $66,550 | $45,650 | $88,670 | $53,135 | $51,562 |
| Washington | 390 | $65,900 | $42,300 | $106,330 | $54,217 | $50,663 |
| Connecticut | 140 | $64,180 | $39,530 | $97,550 | $50,648 | $48,883 |
| Oregon | 120 | $63,660 | $38,850 | $78,090 | $48,693 | $47,110 |
| New Jersey | 870 | $63,030 | $48,660 | $91,710 | $50,435 | $46,353 |
| Alaska | 40 | $62,690 | $30,520 | $91,470 | $52,280 | $51,076 |
| Wyoming | 50 | $61,470 | $44,760 | $99,090 | $51,571 | $55,638 |
| Iowa | 120 | $60,940 | $42,530 | $73,560 | $49,481 | $56,381 |
| Michigan | 270 | $60,870 | $39,540 | $92,440 | $48,753 | $50,670 |
| Illinois | 570 | $60,690 | $31,200 | $104,960 | $48,085 | $48,105 |
| West Virginia | 280 | $59,430 | $36,650 | $86,880 | $48,090 | $53,734 |
| Delaware | 30 | $58,240 | $43,520 | $95,330 | $46,187 | $46,276 |
| New York | 930 | $56,960 | $39,630 | $108,190 | $45,191 | $41,874 |
| Rhode Island | 40 | $56,830 | $44,880 | $67,750 | $45,704 | $44,685 |
| Massachusetts | 300 | $54,150 | $43,280 | $90,530 | $42,953 | $40,615 |
| Hawaii | 50 | $51,910 | $40,260 | $78,050 | $41,468 | $37,715 |
| Kansas | 80 | $49,870 | $15,080 | $79,380 | $40,267 | $44,708 |
| Indiana | 330 | $49,200 | $36,200 | $97,820 | $40,290 | $43,170 |
| Missouri | 330 | $49,150 | $34,040 | $83,150 | $40,299 | $44,374 |
| New Mexico | 350 | $48,530 | $39,490 | $64,920 | $40,054 | $43,437 |
| South Carolina | 410 | $47,850 | $32,570 | $63,090 | $39,770 | $42,422 |
| Ohio | 1,070 | $47,780 | $39,600 | $86,560 | $39,701 | $42,793 |
| Alabama | 470 | $45,710 | $33,460 | $72,200 | $37,028 | $41,687 |
| Tennessee | 860 | $45,210 | $30,280 | $71,850 | $38,506 | $41,914 |
| Arizona | 360 | $44,760 | $38,170 | $66,030 | $37,419 | $37,168 |
| Kentucky | 690 | $44,450 | $32,200 | $62,690 | $36,457 | $40,437 |
| Virginia | 630 | $44,020 | $31,750 | $61,650 | $35,833 | $35,442 |
| Georgia | 670 | $43,140 | $36,040 | $63,610 | $35,439 | $36,803 |
| Texas | 1,360 | $43,030 | $31,030 | $60,360 | $36,755 | $37,869 |
| North Carolina | 640 | $41,830 | $33,730 | $62,200 | $34,630 | $36,713 |
| Florida | Not published | $40,610 | $36,820 | $73,080 | $34,810 | $33,661 |
| Oklahoma | 390 | $39,480 | $31,120 | $64,500 | $32,671 | $37,193 |
| Louisiana | 500 | $37,570 | $23,840 | $50,150 | $31,627 | $35,855 |
| Arkansas | 230 | $37,340 | $22,880 | $66,000 | $31,289 | $35,990 |
| Mississippi | 600 | $37,120 | $21,600 | $61,380 | $31,253 | $35,943 |
| Puerto Rico | 160 | $30,440 | $22,070 | $39,680 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-5041. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.