The highest-paying states for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $78,890, District of Columbia is the highest paying state for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators. It is followed by California (average annual salary $78,660). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $78,890 |
$62,020 | 200 |
| 2 | California | $78,660 |
$48,230 | 10,740 |
| 3 | Nevada | $76,300 |
$46,480 | 560 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $76,090 |
$48,460 | 2,380 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $76,030 |
$52,110 | 970 |
| 6 | Washington | $74,330 |
$50,340 | 2,090 |
| 7 | Alaska | $70,450 |
$41,600 | 520 |
| 8 | Hawaii | $64,910 |
$47,180 | 550 |
| 9 | Illinois | $63,090 |
$40,730 | 4,850 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $62,300 |
$49,600 | 2,960 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $62,070 |
$44,420 | 1,920 |
| 12 | New York | $60,960 |
$42,830 | 4,410 |
| 13 | Oregon | $60,840 |
$40,860 | 1,040 |
| 14 | Colorado | $60,740 |
$43,520 | 2,220 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $58,240 |
$40,620 | 1,950 |
| 16 | Montana | $58,090 |
$38,880 | 540 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $57,550 |
$39,470 | 5,850 |
| 18 | Virgin Islands | $57,130 |
$35,720 | 30 |
| 19 | Vermont | $56,190 |
$45,550 | 250 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $56,140 |
$40,550 | 320 |
| 21 | Delaware | $54,820 |
$39,840 | 270 |
| 22 | Iowa | $54,820 |
$42,390 | 2,060 |
| 23 | Maine | $53,170 |
$41,600 | 360 |
| 24 | New Hampshire | $53,080 |
$43,760 | 390 |
| 25 | Arizona | $52,170 |
$38,170 | 4,040 |
| 26 | Ohio | $51,960 |
$38,940 | 4,870 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $50,760 |
$40,160 | 680 |
| 28 | Michigan | $50,480 |
$37,560 | 3,120 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $50,100 |
$36,170 | 470 |
| 30 | Indiana | $49,440 |
$37,690 | 2,890 |
| 31 | Florida | $49,410 |
$35,220 | 7,030 |
| 32 | Maryland | $49,040 |
$37,570 | 1,460 |
| 33 | Utah | $48,950 |
$20,010 | 1,680 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $48,840 |
$36,940 | 830 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $48,490 |
$37,790 | 690 |
| 36 | Virginia | $47,860 |
$31,640 | 2,990 |
| 37 | Guam | $47,610 |
$37,760 | 40 |
| 38 | Alabama | $47,300 |
$30,400 | 2,510 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $46,800 |
$30,510 | 2,550 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $46,660 |
$30,180 | 2,740 |
| 41 | Idaho | $46,350 |
$33,070 | 1,410 |
| 42 | Missouri | $46,330 |
$30,160 | 2,160 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $46,130 |
$28,490 | 1,270 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $45,930 |
$34,150 | 3,140 |
| 45 | Georgia | $45,310 |
$30,910 | 3,030 |
| 46 | Texas | $43,820 |
$30,140 | 9,530 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $42,100 |
$30,160 | 1,050 |
| 48 | Kansas | $39,940 |
$31,050 | 1,740 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $39,740 |
$28,560 | 2,200 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $38,700 |
$27,230 | 2,000 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $38,550 |
$27,030 | 2,100 |
| 52 | Oklahoma | $37,600 |
$28,430 | 2,350 |
| 53 | Mississippi | $36,510 |
$22,880 | 1,390 |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $22,830 |
$19,150 | 1,170 |