Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Median $122,890
Occupation · SOC 51-8031
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$60,020 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $62,540
- Median hourly wage
- $28.86
- Mean hourly wage
- $30.07
- Employment
- 128,490
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-8031.
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See where your pay falls among water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators make?
The median annual wage for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators was $60,020 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $39,110 and the highest-paid 10% more than $91,060. As an hourly rate, the median is $28.86. About 128,490 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($81,770), Nevada ($81,440) and Washington ($80,800). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Nevada.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators 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 | $39,110 | $18.80 | $3,259 | $2,800 |
| 25th percentile | $48,040 | $23.10 | $4,003 | $3,398 |
| Median | $60,020 | $28.86 | $5,002 | $4,201 |
| 75th percentile | $74,780 | $35.95 | $6,232 | $5,120 |
| 90th percentile | $91,060 | $43.78 | $7,588 | $6,074 |
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators: pay by state
52 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
$66,137 take-home in national prices
2
$60,322 take-home in national prices
3
$58,281 take-home in national prices
Where a median water and wastewater treatment plant and system operator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 11,630 | $81,770 | $56,030 | $123,380 | $61,933 | $55,936 |
| Nevada | Not published | $81,440 | $56,110 | $101,820 | $66,123 | $66,137 |
| Washington | 2,030 | $80,800 | $57,720 | $106,270 | $64,552 | $60,322 |
| Connecticut | 980 | $78,820 | $60,900 | $98,850 | $60,301 | $58,200 |
| New Jersey | 2,500 | $78,760 | $51,050 | $99,240 | $60,889 | $55,962 |
| Minnesota | 2,290 | $74,670 | $52,130 | $87,250 | $57,478 | $58,281 |
| Colorado | 2,620 | $74,200 | $50,130 | $95,730 | $58,147 | $56,425 |
| Oregon | 1,240 | $69,720 | $50,270 | $87,880 | $52,765 | $51,050 |
| Massachusetts | 2,510 | $68,550 | $50,980 | $91,390 | $53,532 | $50,618 |
| Illinois | 3,500 | $67,810 | $42,240 | $103,690 | $53,323 | $53,345 |
| Hawaii | 610 | $65,560 | $46,900 | $82,680 | $51,351 | $46,703 |
| Delaware | 340 | $64,940 | $48,160 | $84,360 | $51,154 | $51,253 |
| New York | 5,300 | $63,990 | $48,350 | $102,260 | $50,430 | $46,729 |
| Vermont | 320 | $63,640 | $50,820 | $81,100 | $51,617 | $52,693 |
| Wisconsin | 2,230 | $63,550 | $50,340 | $78,790 | $50,979 | $54,178 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,660 | $63,310 | $45,670 | $80,480 | $51,062 | $52,332 |
| Wyoming | 500 | $63,260 | $46,960 | $107,370 | $53,009 | $57,189 |
| New Hampshire | 510 | $62,940 | $49,170 | $81,290 | $52,752 | $50,643 |
| Maine | 710 | $61,870 | $49,220 | $84,730 | $49,085 | $50,577 |
| Maryland | 1,770 | $61,870 | $44,990 | $88,970 | $49,320 | $46,990 |
| Rhode Island | 420 | $61,820 | $49,150 | $84,640 | $49,471 | $48,368 |
| Arizona | 3,950 | $61,340 | $46,690 | $80,040 | $50,327 | $49,989 |
| Utah | 1,900 | $61,290 | $45,710 | $79,860 | $49,105 | $49,669 |
| Nebraska | 740 | $61,220 | $44,620 | $76,250 | $49,464 | $54,898 |
| Iowa | 2,370 | $60,990 | $46,880 | $76,040 | $49,520 | $56,425 |
| North Dakota | 550 | $60,470 | $47,250 | $78,940 | $50,768 | $57,069 |
| Alaska | 750 | $60,160 | $35,200 | $99,840 | $50,248 | $49,090 |
| Virginia | 3,460 | $59,420 | $38,590 | $79,470 | $47,321 | $46,805 |
| Michigan | 3,400 | $59,270 | $46,710 | $75,910 | $47,535 | $49,404 |
| Ohio | 5,870 | $59,170 | $45,350 | $75,200 | $48,539 | $52,320 |
| Florida | 7,440 | $59,030 | $39,630 | $84,280 | $49,611 | $47,973 |
| Montana | 690 | $58,040 | $37,320 | $81,420 | $46,844 | $49,494 |
| Indiana | 3,140 | $53,540 | $40,590 | $75,290 | $43,649 | $46,769 |
| South Dakota | 1,060 | $53,370 | $43,890 | $73,170 | $45,063 | $50,869 |
| Idaho | 1,480 | $52,210 | $40,820 | $74,950 | $42,472 | $44,476 |
| South Carolina | 2,650 | $52,090 | $39,060 | $76,850 | $42,896 | $45,756 |
| Alabama | 2,770 | $51,870 | $35,100 | $79,950 | $41,706 | $46,954 |
| North Carolina | 3,620 | $51,680 | $37,860 | $75,600 | $42,152 | $44,687 |
| Tennessee | 3,140 | $50,670 | $35,430 | $75,540 | $42,893 | $46,689 |
| Missouri | 3,000 | $49,940 | $38,600 | $64,930 | $40,897 | $45,032 |
| Texas | 10,520 | $49,460 | $36,550 | $70,270 | $41,921 | $43,192 |
| Georgia | 3,310 | $48,930 | $36,970 | $67,520 | $39,802 | $41,334 |
| New Mexico | 2,110 | $48,190 | $36,110 | $80,090 | $39,796 | $43,157 |
| Virgin Islands | 30 | $48,030 | $36,500 | $72,840 | — | — |
| West Virginia | 1,100 | $47,560 | $35,360 | $75,240 | $39,053 | $43,636 |
| Kansas | 1,560 | $46,780 | $35,870 | $66,800 | $37,957 | $42,143 |
| Mississippi | 1,150 | $46,480 | $35,230 | $64,130 | $38,399 | $44,161 |
| Louisiana | 2,450 | $46,210 | $31,440 | $63,870 | $38,310 | $43,432 |
| Oklahoma | 2,280 | $45,890 | $35,250 | $63,040 | $37,533 | $42,727 |
| Kentucky | 2,540 | $45,430 | $33,210 | $63,740 | $37,211 | $41,272 |
| Arkansas | 2,010 | $44,320 | $31,480 | $61,780 | $36,639 | $42,144 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,030 | $29,220 | $21,840 | $40,290 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-8031. *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.