Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

94.7k

Average Age

44.2

Estimated Job Growth

−4.27%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$53,432

Average Male Salary

$53,741

Average Female Salary

$48,393

About

Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators are most often employed by the Water, steam, air-conditioning, & irrigation systems industry. The average yearly wage for Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators was $53,432 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators by wage are Construction equipment operators, Electrical & electronics repairers, transportation equipment, & industrial & utility, and Surveying & mapping technicians.

Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators are part of the Production Occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of production & operating workers, Electrical, electronics, & electromechanical assemblers, Engine & other machine assemblers, Structural metal fabricators & fitters, Other assemblers and fabricators, and 55 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators are Jacksonville City PUMA, NC, Montgomery County (West)Conroe City (West) PUMA, TX, and Albany County (Outside Albany City) PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators are Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA, Subsistence Alaska PUMA, AK, and Port Orange, Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach (East) & Oak Hill Cities PUMA, FL.

Production Occupations Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators and on wages and locations for those in the field. Water, steam, air-conditioning, & irrigation systems is the industry that employs the most Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators, by average wage, is Oil & gas extraction. Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators are paid most in Coastal Region PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$53,432

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,170

In 2020, Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators earned an average of $53,432, $2,522 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Construction equipment operators make somewhat more than Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators while Surveying & mapping technicians make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.246

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.246, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators (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 Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators, by number of employees, are Water, steam, air-conditioning, & irrigation systems, Sewage treatment facilities, Waste management & remediation services, Construction, Executive offices & legislative bodies, Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, Pulp, paper, & paperboard mills , Electric power generation, transmission & distribution, Animal slaughtering & processing, Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals, and Electric & gas, and other combinations.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators, by average wage, are Oil & gas extraction, Ordnance, and Petroleum refining.

Industries by Share

94.7k

2020 Workforce

± 7,554

5.01%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 10.9%

The number of people employed as Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators has been growing at a rate of 5.01%, from 90,213 people in 2019 to 94,737 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators employed by various industries. Water, steam, air-conditioning, & irrigation systems employs the largest share of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators at 45.2%, followed by Sewage treatment facilities with 33.9% and Waste management & remediation services with 2.21%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators in the US. The average age of male Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators in the workforce is 44.2 and of female Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators is 43.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

89.3k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 7,333

5.48k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 1,817

94.2% of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators

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

76.8% of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 7.82% of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators.

Age by Sex

44.2

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.07

43.5

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 4.31

The median age of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators is 44.2, and Male employees are generally 0.677 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators is Business but a relatively high number of Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators 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 Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators need many skills, but most especially Operation Monitoring, Monitoring, and Operation and Control. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Water & wastewater treatment plant & system operators need more than the average amount of Repairing, Equipment Maintenance, and Equipment Selection.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators are expected to see a growth of −4.27% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators.

−4.27%

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 Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.