The average annual salaries for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in the state of Washington are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators among Washington cities is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are 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 | $50,340 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $62,480 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $74,330 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $85,120 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $106,250 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in Washington in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $106,250. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $74,330. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $50,340.
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 | $74,330 | -2.34% | 23.85% |
| 2021 | $76,070 | 13.99% | - |
| 2020 | $65,430 | 2.69% | - |
| 2019 | $63,670 | 2.76% | - |
| 2018 | $61,910 | 2.10% | - |
| 2017 | $60,610 | -0.64% | - |
| 2016 | $61,000 | -2.49% | - |
| 2015 | $62,520 | 1.10% | - |
| 2014 | $61,830 | 0.08% | - |
| 2013 | $61,780 | 8.38% | - |
| 2012 | $56,600 | - | - |
Table 3 shows the median annual salary of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in some Washington cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in state of Washington ranges from $48,900 to $79,950. The highest paying area for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in Washington is Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue with a median annual salary of $79,950. The second highest paying city/area in Washington State is Olympia (mean annual salary $77,280). The lowest paying area is Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $48,900.