How much do water and sewer technicians make in 2026?
Water and sewer technicians are counted in the BLS septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners series: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 47-4071 national median at $49,880 a year ($23.98 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $37,040 and the top 10% at $73,490. The series name understates what the work has become. Alongside jetting, rodding and vacuum truck operation, the modern job includes CCTV pipeline inspection with condition coding to industry standards, lateral launch and sonar surveys, cured-in-place pipe lining and other trenchless rehabilitation, hydro-excavation, and manhole rehabilitation. Those methods require training and produce deliverables that engineers rely on, which is why the upper part of this band is technicians who inspect, code and rehabilitate rather than only clean. Employer type matters too: municipal utility and district employment pays moderately with pensions and often requires state collection system operator certification, while contract sewer services pay hourly with heavy overtime and emergency call-out. Employment is projected to grow 7.6% through 2034 with roughly 2,900 openings a year. → Full water and sewer technician career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $49,880 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Water and Sewer Technicians earn a national median $49,880/yr ($23.98/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-4071); the P10 to P90 range is $37,040 to $73,490.
- The BLS series here is named for septic and sewer cleaning, but the modern job includes CCTV inspection, condition coding and trenchless rehabilitation, which is where the upper part of the $37,040 to $73,490 band comes from.
- CCTV inspection and cured-in-place lining are the skills that convert a cleaning role into a technical one with engineering deliverables.
- Municipal and district employment pays moderately with pensions and often requires state collection system operator certification; contract work pays hourly with heavy overtime and call-out.
US Water and Sewer Technician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do water and sewer technicians earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-4071; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-4071, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a water and sewer technician earn at each career stage?
Sewer technician pay follows inspection and rehabilitation capability, and certification for utility employment. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-4071.
By State
Which states pay water and sewer technicians the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. What drives real pay here is regulatory pressure and utility structure: states and regions under consent decrees or with funded inflow and infiltration programmes generate steady, technically demanding work, and municipal pay scales and operator certification requirements vary by state.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($57,360), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay water and sewer technicians the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Large metro systems pay best because they operate their own inspection and rehabilitation programmes at scale, require certified operators and run night and emergency work with differentials.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a water and sewer technician’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does water and sewer technician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Water and Sewer Technicians sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify water and sewer technician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a water and sewer technician actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Water and Sewer Technician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
Water and Sewer Technician career research journey
Do your homework, then let the network do the rest.Get the job, then keep rising
FreeSet your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.
A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.
Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.
Hiring water and sewer technicians?
Get a verified shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates in 48 hours
GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.
Related · Water and Sewer Technician
Everything for water and sewer technicians in one place
Salary data, licensing, interview prep, and hiring, all cross-linked so you (and search engines) can move through the full water and sewer technician cluster.