Water System Operator Salary
$30.5K - $37K
5% of jobs
$37K - $43.5K
16% of jobs
$45.3K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$43.5K - $50K
17% of jobs
The median wage is $56.5K / yr.
$50K - $56.5K
13% of jobs
$56.5K - $63K
10% of jobs
$63K - $69.5K
10% of jobs
$72.7K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$69.5K - $76K
9% of jobs
$76K - $82.5K
11% of jobs
$82.5K - $89K
5% of jobs
$89K - $95.5K
3% of jobs
$95.5K - $102K
1% of jobs
$30.5K
$58.5K
$103K
$64,351
/year
$30.94
/hour
Water System Operator Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$64,351
Columbus
Ohio
$62,157
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How much does a Water System Operator make?
As of Aug 8, 2026, the average annual pay for a Water System Operator in the United States is $64,351 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $30.94 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,237/week or $5,362/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $103,000 and as low as $30,500, the majority of Water System Operator salaries currently range between $45,000 (25th percentile) to $75,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $88,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Water System Operator varies greatly (by as much as 30500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Water System Operator in your area makes on average $62,157 per year, or $2,194 (3.409%) less than the national average annual salary of $64,351. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Water System Operator salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Water System Operator jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Water System Operator on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Water System Operator Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Water System Operator job is above the national average. Topping the list is Carmel Valley, CA, , with Marysville, WA, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $14,443 (22.4%), and Carmel Valley, CA, furthers that trend with another $16,738 (26.0%) above the $64,351 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Water System Operator appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 7% between Carmel Valley, CA, and San Jose, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Water System Operator role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Carmel Valley, CA | $81,089 | $38.99 |
Marysville, WA | $79,451 | $38.20 |
Berkeley, CA | $78,794 | $37.88 |
Atqasuk, AK | $78,358 | $37.67 |
Pennington County, SD | $77,627 | $37.32 |
Sitka, AK | $77,522 | $37.27 |
Point Lay, AK | $77,239 | $37.13 |
Menlo Park, CA | $75,835 | $36.46 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $75,526 | $36.31 |
San Jose, CA | $75,419 | $36.26 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Water System Operator Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Water System Operator job category, we found that Vac Truck Driver jobs have average salaries greater than Water System Operator jobs.
Significantly, Vac Truck Driver jobs pay $14,888 (23.1%) more than the average Water System Operator salary of $64,351. If you're qualified, finding work as a Vac Truck Driver may help you make more money than that of the average Water System Operator position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Vac Truck Driver | $79,239 | $38.10 |
Emergency Operator | $44,620 | $21.45 |
Excavation Worker | $42,266 | $20.32 |
Vacuum Truck Operator | $41,199 | $19.81 |
Hydrovac | $31,970 | $15.37 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
