Water operator salaries by state and employer
What water and wastewater operators earn at each city, county and water or sanitation district: what operators actually earned, next to the official pay range for each operator title where the state's file has one. So far the site covers every California employer; in New York, New York City and 11 other employers that publish their pay; and in Utah, 84 cities, towns, counties and water and sewer districts. More states follow as we collect their data.
Work in progress
Water operator pay in more states, as we collect the data
This page will compare water operator pay across states. For now it covers every California employer; in New York, New York City and 11 other employers that publish their pay; and in Utah, 84 cities, towns, counties and water and sewer districts. Each state publishes local government pay differently, and each certifies operators in its own way, so we add states one at a time, after checking their files and deciding which jobs count.
Until then, each state's page has everything we've published so far, including which water jobs count as operators there and which don't.
Sources for the state figures
Total pay is total wages, overtime included, of operators who worked roughly the full year. Each state's page explains its full-year rule.
- State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: wages of every water and wastewater operator position.
- City of New York, Citywide Payroll Data (Fiscal Year); Suffolk County, County Salaries by Department 2024 and 2023; City of Buffalo, Open Payroll; New York State Authorities Budget Office, Salary Information for Local Authorities (Open NY), the newest year each employer has published (2023, 2024 and 2025): wages of every water and wastewater operator position.
- Transparent Utah, Office of the Utah State Auditor, the newest year each employer has published (fiscal years 2025 and 2026): wages of every water and wastewater operator position.