Refuse & recyclable material collectors

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

88.5k

Average Age

Estimated Job Growth

8.83%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$34,809

Average Male Salary

$35,895

Average Female Salary

$25,806

About

Refuse & recyclable material collectors are most often employed by the Waste management & remediation services industry. The average yearly wage for Refuse & recyclable material collectors was $34,809 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Refuse & recyclable material collectors by wage are Upholsterers, Musicians and singers, and Coaches and scouts.

Refuse & recyclable material collectors are part of the Material Moving Occupations, along with Industrial truck & tractor operators, Cleaners of vehicles & equipment, Laborers & freight, stock, & material movers, hand, Machine feeders & offbearers, Packers & packagers, hand, and 5 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Refuse & recyclable material collectors are Tottenville, Great Kills & Annadale PUMA, NY, Philadelphia City (Southwest) PUMA, PA, and Brazos CountyCollege Station & Bryan Cities PUMA, TX. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Refuse & recyclable material collectors are Tottenville, Great Kills & Annadale PUMA, NY, Carr 2-Carr 129 PUMA, PR, and Philadelphia City (Southwest) PUMA, PA.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Refuse & recyclable material collectors and on wages and locations for those in the field. Waste management & remediation services is the industry that employs the most Refuse & recyclable material collectors, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Refuse & recyclable material collectors, by average wage, is Architectural, engineering & related services. Refuse & recyclable material collectors are paid most in Hunts Point, Longwood & Melrose PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Tottenville, Great Kills & Annadale PUMA, NY.

Yearly Wage

$34,809

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,749

In 2020, Refuse & recyclable material collectors earned an average of $34,809, $21,145 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Musicians and singers make somewhat more than Refuse & recyclable material collectors while Upholsterers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Refuse & recyclable material collectors as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.41

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Refuse & recyclable material collectors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.41, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Refuse & recyclable material collectors (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Refuse & recyclable material collectors.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Refuse & recyclable material collectors

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Refuse & recyclable material collectors.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Refuse & recyclable material collectors, by number of employees, are Waste management & remediation services, Recyclable material merchant wholesalers, Vocational rehabilitation services, Construction, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Bakeries & tortilla manufacturing, except retail bakeries, Executive offices & legislative bodies, Services to buildings & dwellings (except cleaning during construction & immediately after construction), Employment services, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, and Individual & family services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Refuse & recyclable material collectors, by average wage, are Architectural, engineering & related services, Water, steam, air-conditioning, & irrigation systems, and National security & international affairs.

Industries by Share

88.5k

2020 Workforce

± 7,301

1.54%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 11.5%

The number of people employed as Refuse & recyclable material collectors has been growing at a rate of 1.54%, from 87,150 people in 2019 to 88,490 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Refuse & recyclable material collectors employed by various industries. Waste management & remediation services employs the largest share of Refuse & recyclable material collectors at 68.3%, followed by Recyclable material merchant wholesalers with 4.95% and Vocational rehabilitation services with 1.37%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Refuse & recyclable material collectors in the US. The average age of male Refuse & recyclable material collectors in the workforce is 41.1 and of female Refuse & recyclable material collectors is 40, and the most common race/ethnicity for Refuse & recyclable material collectors is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

79k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 6,897

9.53k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 2,396

89.2% of Refuse & recyclable material collectors are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Refuse & recyclable material collectors.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Refuse & recyclable material collectors

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

46.4% of Refuse & recyclable material collectors are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 22.7% of Refuse & recyclable material collectors, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Refuse & recyclable material collectors.

Age by Sex

41.1

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.26

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 3.67

The median age of Refuse & recyclable material collectors is 41, and Male employees are generally 1.16 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Refuse & recyclable material collectors from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Refuse & recyclable material collectors is Business but a relatively high number of Refuse & recyclable material collectors hold a major in Natural Resources & Conservation.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Refuse & recyclable material collectors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Refuse & recyclable material collectors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Operation and Control, and Operation Monitoring. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Refuse & recyclable material collectors need more than the average amount of Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, and Operation and Control.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors are expected to see a growth of 8.83% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors.

8.83%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.