Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators Salary
In Syracuse, NY, water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators earn $60,840 at the median, or about $29.25 an hour. The range runs from $49K at the entry level to $80K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.74), that's roughly $63,547 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,392/month, about 35% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $61K get you in Syracuse?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Syracuse’s Regional Price Parity (95.74). 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 water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
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What this looks like in Syracuse
Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators pay in Syracuse tracks closely to the national median, $61K locally vs. $60K nationwide, a 1% difference. Rent runs $1,392/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 34.7% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 95.74) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in metros near Syracuse, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $83K | $74K |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga | $63K | $66K |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | $63K | $63K |
| Rochester | $63K | $65K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Syracuse, NY
Entry-level water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators (10th percentile) start around $49K. Mid-career wages sit at $61K. Top earners bring in $80K or more, a $31K spread from bottom to top.
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $82K | +36% | 11,630 |
| Nevada | $81K | +36% | N/A |
| Washington | $81K | +35% | 2,030 |
| Connecticut | $79K | +31% | 980 |
| New Jersey | $79K | +31% | 2,500 |
| Minnesota | $75K | +24% | 2,290 |
| Colorado | $74K | +24% | 2,620 |
| Oregon | $70K | +16% | 1,240 |
| Massachusetts | $69K | +14% | 2,510 |
| Illinois | $68K | +13% | 3,500 |
| Hawaii | $66K | +9% | 610 |
| Delaware | $65K | +8% | 340 |
| New York | $64K | +7% | 5,300 |
| Vermont | $64K | +6% | 320 |
| Wisconsin | $64K | +6% | 2,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $63K | +5% | 4,660 |
| Wyoming | $63K | +5% | 500 |
| New Hampshire | $63K | +5% | 510 |
| Maryland | $62K | +3% | 1,770 |
| Maine | $62K | +3% | 710 |
| Rhode Island | $62K | +3% | 420 |
| Arizona | $61K | +2% | 3,950 |
| Utah | $61K | +2% | 1,900 |
| Nebraska | $61K | +2% | 740 |
| Iowa | $61K | +2% | 2,370 |
| North Dakota | $60K | +1% | 550 |
| Alaska | $60K | +0% | 750 |
| Virginia | $59K | -1% | 3,460 |
| Michigan | $59K | -1% | 3,400 |
| Ohio | $59K | -1% | 5,870 |
| Florida | $59K | -2% | 7,440 |
| Montana | $58K | -3% | 690 |
| Indiana | $54K | -11% | 3,140 |
| South Dakota | $53K | -11% | 1,060 |
| Idaho | $52K | -13% | 1,480 |
| South Carolina | $52K | -13% | 2,650 |
| Alabama | $52K | -14% | 2,770 |
| North Carolina | $52K | -14% | 3,620 |
| Tennessee | $51K | -16% | 3,140 |
| Missouri | $50K | -17% | 3,000 |
| Texas | $49K | -18% | 10,520 |
| Georgia | $49K | -18% | 3,310 |
| New Mexico | $48K | -20% | 2,110 |
| West Virginia | $48K | -21% | 1,100 |
| Kansas | $47K | -22% | 1,560 |
| Mississippi | $46K | -23% | 1,150 |
| Louisiana | $46K | -23% | 2,450 |
| Oklahoma | $46K | -24% | 2,280 |
| Kentucky | $45K | -24% | 2,540 |
| Arkansas | $44K | -26% | 2,010 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a water and wastewater treatment plant and system operator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Syracuse?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $61K, rent takes 34.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,392/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 water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in Syracuse?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators typically earn — is $49K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,933/month. At HUD’s $1,392/month FMR, rent would take 47% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is water and wastewater treatment plant and system operator a high-paying job in Syracuse?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $61K locally vs. $60K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Syracuse compare to the national average for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators?
Syracuse pays $61K median vs. the U.S. average of $60K — that’s +1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.74), the purchasing-power equivalent is $64K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators make in Syracuse, NY?
The median is $60,840 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $48,890, and experienced water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators can clear $80,190. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $61K enough to live in Syracuse?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,015/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,392/month, which eats 34.7% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators salary go in Syracuse?
Syracuse has a Regional Price Parity of 95.74 (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 water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators salary is worth about $63,547 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators 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.