The annual salary statistics of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in Ames, Iowa is shown in Table 1. The wage information of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in Ames is based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $36,660 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $46,790 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $54,950 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $59,280 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $70,370 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in Ames, Iowa in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $70,370. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $54,950. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent earners is $36,660.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators from 2012 to 2022.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 10-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $54,950 | 10.10% | 14.52% |
| 2020 | $49,400 | 1.28% | - |
| 2019 | $48,770 | 6.44% | - |
| 2018 | $45,630 | -6.86% | - |
| 2017 | $48,760 | -0.53% | - |
| 2016 | $49,020 | 5.00% | - |
| 2015 | $46,570 | 1.55% | - |
| 2014 | $45,850 | -3.88% | - |
| 2013 | $47,630 | 1.39% | - |
| 2012 | $46,970 | - | - |
From Table 3 we note that the median annual salary of $54,950 in Ames is in the middle of salary range for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in state of Iowa. In comparison, the annual salary of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in Ames is 11.9 percent (11.9%) lower than that in the highest paying Waterloo-Cedar Falls and 11.6 percent (11.6%) higher than that in the lowest paying Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area.