Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors Salary
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in St. Louis, MO-IL make a median of $60,750 a year, or about $29.21 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $75K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $63,887 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,218/month, about 30.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $61K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About refuse and recyclable material collectors
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What this looks like in St. Louis
St. Louis sits well above the national pay line for refuse and recyclable material collectors, local pay runs about 22% higher than the U.S. median of $50K. Rent runs $1,218/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 30% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for refuse and recyclable material collectors in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $43K | $47K |
| Springfield | $47K | $53K |
| Joplin | $49K | $57K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $77K | $75K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level refuse and recyclable material collectors (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $61K. Top earners bring in $75K or more, a $39K spread from bottom to top.
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | $75K | +51% | 4,910 |
| Washington | $75K | +50% | 3,750 |
| New York | $65K | +31% | 11,630 |
| California | $65K | +31% | 13,930 |
| Oregon | $63K | +27% | 2,500 |
| Minnesota | $63K | +26% | 2,500 |
| Nevada | $61K | +23% | 770 |
| Delaware | $61K | +23% | 600 |
| Colorado | $60K | +21% | 3,700 |
| Wisconsin | $60K | +20% | 1,550 |
| Utah | $59K | +19% | 960 |
| North Dakota | $59K | +19% | 360 |
| Indiana | $59K | +19% | 3,180 |
| Hawaii | $56K | +13% | 770 |
| Rhode Island | $56K | +13% | 470 |
| District of Columbia | $55K | +12% | 540 |
| New Jersey | $55K | +10% | 4,330 |
| Vermont | $52K | +5% | 160 |
| Michigan | $51K | +3% | 4,020 |
| Massachusetts | $50K | +1% | 1,010 |
| Missouri | $50K | +1% | 1,930 |
| Idaho | $50K | +0% | 730 |
| Iowa | $50K | +0% | 1,780 |
| Montana | $49K | -1% | 370 |
| Nebraska | $49K | -1% | 910 |
| Ohio | $49K | -1% | 4,710 |
| Wyoming | $49K | -2% | 280 |
| Pennsylvania | $48K | -3% | 6,220 |
| Florida | $48K | -4% | 11,650 |
| New Mexico | $48K | -4% | 1,070 |
| Georgia | $47K | -5% | 4,830 |
| Arizona | $47K | -6% | 2,380 |
| New Hampshire | $47K | -6% | 340 |
| Virginia | $47K | -6% | 4,330 |
| Texas | $46K | -7% | 12,860 |
| Alabama | $46K | -7% | 2,790 |
| Alaska | $46K | -8% | 250 |
| Kansas | $46K | -8% | 910 |
| North Carolina | $45K | -10% | 7,250 |
| Maine | $43K | -13% | 770 |
| Tennessee | $43K | -13% | 2,550 |
| Kentucky | $43K | -13% | 1,580 |
| Oklahoma | $43K | -13% | 2,030 |
| Maryland | $42K | -16% | 3,120 |
| Mississippi | $39K | -21% | 1,970 |
| Louisiana | $39K | -22% | 2,200 |
| Connecticut | $38K | -23% | 810 |
| West Virginia | $36K | -28% | 1,000 |
| Arkansas | $36K | -28% | 1,600 |
| South Carolina | $35K | -30% | 2,020 |
| South Dakota | $33K | -34% | 340 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
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Frequently asked questions
Can a refuse and recyclable material collector afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $61K, rent takes 30% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for refuse and recyclable material collectors in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new refuse and recyclable material collectors typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,153/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 57% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is refuse and recyclable material collector a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Local pay is 22% above the national median — $61K here vs. $50K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for refuse and recyclable material collectors?
St. Louis pays $61K median vs. the U.S. average of $50K — that’s +22%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $64K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do refuse and recyclable material collectors make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $60,750 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $35,880, and experienced refuse and recyclable material collectors can clear $74,860. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $61K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,062/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 30% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a refuse and recyclable material collectors salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median refuse and recyclable material collectors salary is worth about $63,887 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do refuse and recyclable material collectors get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.