Palo Alto water operator salary, 2025
Palo Alto is a city in Santa Clara County. 31 people worked as water operators for Palo Alto in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $148,209, overtime included.
What is the average water operator salary at Palo Alto?
Official pay range, wastewater treatment operators1
$81,381 to $188,490
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest title for wastewater treatment operators, the largest group
Based on the 24 of 31 water operators who worked the full year.
Most of Palo Alto's water operators (17 of 31) hold the title Wqc Plt Oper II, with an official range of $99,524 to $135,272. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $132,068, within the range.
- Median total pay
- $139,994
- the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $15,678
- average per full-year water operator
- Starting salary
- Not reported
- no official range reported
- Average pay rank
- 41st
- of 300 California employers
What does each water operator title at Palo Alto pay?
Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average total pay of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.1
Wastewater treatment operators
- Wqc Plant Operator IIFewer than 5
- Wqc Plt Oper II$132,068
- Supv Wqc OperFewer than 5
- Sr Operator WqcFewer than 5
Water system operators
- Water System Operator IIFewer than 5
Other operator titles
- Sr Water Sys OperFewer than 5
official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.
Does Palo Alto pay water operators more than other employers in Santa Clara County?
Average total pay of full-year water operators: Palo Alto next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- Palo Alto$148,209
- All employers in Santa Clara County$157,077
- All employers in California$123,726
Full-year water operators at Palo Alto earned $8,868 less than the Santa Clara County average and $24,483 more than the California average.
Average water operator pay in Santa Clara County compared to nearby counties
Average total pay of full-year water operators across all employers in each county that borders Santa Clara County, and how much more or less it pays.1
- Alameda County$159,204 average, 10 employers$2,127 more than Santa Clara County
- San Mateo County$135,913 average, 12 employers$21,164 less than Santa Clara County
- Santa Cruz County$116,974 average, 7 employers$40,103 less than Santa Clara County
- San Benito County$110,416 average, 1 employer$46,661 less than Santa Clara County
- Stanislaus County$95,852 average, 11 employers$61,225 less than Santa Clara County
- Merced County$88,344 average, 6 employers$68,733 less than Santa Clara County
Where does Palo Alto rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year water operators, by average total pay.1
All 300 California employers
Palo Alto ranks 41st of 300, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $116,210
The 5 employers in Santa Clara County
Palo Alto ranks 3rd of 5, level with the middle employer.
Middle employer: $148,209
Each bar counts the employers whose average total pay falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.
Pension and health cover at Palo Alto
As reported by the city. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year water operator, on top of wages.1
- Pension formula
- 2% at 62
- the most common formula among Palo Alto's water operators
- Employer pension contribution
- $56,973
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $28,612
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about water operator pay at Palo Alto
What is the average water operator salary at Palo Alto?
Water operators at Palo Alto who worked the full year earned an average of $148,209 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $139,994: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $81,381 to $188,490.
How much overtime do water operators at Palo Alto earn?
Full-year water operators were paid an average of $15,678 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $8,262: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What pension do water operators at Palo Alto get?
The most common pension formula among Palo Alto's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $56,973 a year into the pension plan.
More salaries in Santa Clara County
- Santa Clara Valley Water District$198,541 average total pay
- Mountain View$168,369 average total pay
- San Jose$143,341 average total pay
- Sunnyvale$138,454 average total pay
- Los Altoswater operator pay
- Highest water operator salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Police officer salaries at Palo Alto$229,335 average total pay
- 911 dispatcher salaries at Palo Alto$194,277 average total pay
- Firefighter salaries at Palo Alto$206,035 average total pay
- Librarian salaries at Palo Alto$109,521 average total pay
- Teacher salaries in Santa Clara CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the Palo Alto figures
Every person who held a water operator position at Palo Alto at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Averages lead; the median total pay is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with very high pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.
- State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by Palo Alto.