Garbage Collector Salary

Q: How much does a Garbage Collector make?

Garbage collectors make $29,093 per year on average, or $13.99 per hour, in the United States. Garbage collectors on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $21,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $39,000. Location impacts how much a garbage collector can expect to make. Garbage collectors make the most in Alaska, California, Washington, Oregon, and Wyoming.

Q: How much do garbage men make?

Garbage men make an average annual salary of $44,608. However, the salaries of garbage can vary depending on location. Large cities often see garbage men having higher salaries. For example, the average salary of a garbage man in San Francisco is $66,846 per year. And the average salary of a garbage man in the state of California as a whole is $59,380.

Updated February 6, 2023

Average Garbage Collector Salary

$13.99hourly

$29,093 yearly

Entry level Salary

$21,000 yearly

$21,00010%

$29,093Median

$39,00090%

How much does a Garbage Collector make?

Garbage collectors make $29,093 per year on average, or $13.99 per hour, in the United States. Garbage collectors on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $21,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $39,000.

Location impacts how much a garbage collector can expect to make. Garbage collectors make the most in Alaska, California, Washington, Oregon, and Wyoming.

Highest Paying States For Garbage Collectors

Throughout the U.S., the average salary for a garbage collector is roughly $29,093 per year, which boils down to $13.99 per hour. Interestingly enough, garbage collectors have the highest salaries in Fairfield, CA at about $43,658 per year. For those who are just starting out, the average entry-level salary in Fairfield, CA is $33,000. Additionally, garbage collectors make more than the average salary in Hayward, CA, Tracy, CA, El Dorado Hills, CA, Renton, WA, and Beaverton, OR. On a more broad level, garbage collector salaries are highest in Alaska, California, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Vermont. On the contrary, Georgia, South Dakota, and North Carolina offer the lowest garbage collector salaries.

State View
County View

Average Salary:

Garbage Collector average salary by State

Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Count
1	Washington	$39,711	$19.09	58
2	California	$42,121	$20.25	222
3	Alaska	$43,551	$20.94	5
4	Utah	$34,955	$16.81	23
5	Oregon	$37,340	$17.95	29
6	Nevada	$32,819	$15.78	18
7	Wyoming	$36,982	$17.78	2
8	Texas	$30,729	$14.77	220
9	West Virginia	$30,106	$14.47	16
10	Colorado	$33,104	$15.92	40
11	Minnesota	$35,388	$17.01	21
12	North Dakota	$33,471	$16.09	3
13	Massachusetts	$34,611	$16.64	43
14	Vermont	$35,173	$16.91	2
15	Arizona	$30,500	$14.66	37
16	Maine	$32,935	$15.83	2
17	Florida	$27,256	$13.10	277
18	New Mexico	$30,322	$14.58	9
19	New Hampshire	$28,979	$13.93	9
20	Wisconsin	$30,777	$14.80	4
21	Idaho	$31,477	$15.13	1
22	New York	$29,441	$14.15	64
23	Indiana	$26,909	$12.94	35
24	Michigan	$27,804	$13.37	33
25	Oklahoma	$28,397	$13.65	12
26	Connecticut	$28,182	$13.55	16
27	Illinois	$29,346	$14.11	35
28	Ohio	$27,225	$13.09	43
29	Missouri	$26,365	$12.68	30
30	Arkansas	$26,678	$12.83	11
31	Alabama	$24,185	$11.63	39
32	Pennsylvania	$26,212	$12.60	60
33	Rhode Island	$23,472	$11.28	15
34	New Jersey	$27,224	$13.09	44
35	Louisiana	$23,818	$11.45	25
36	Montana	$24,687	$11.87	6
37	Delaware	$27,371	$13.16	3
38	Kentucky	$23,752	$11.42	24
39	Georgia	$22,439	$10.79	91
40	Iowa	$25,846	$12.43	9
41	Hawaii	$27,400	$13.17	2
42	Virginia	$24,208	$11.64	58
43	Kansas	$25,771	$12.39	7
44	Nebraska	$24,374	$11.72	9
45	South Carolina	$20,235	$9.73	40
46	North Carolina	$20,292	$9.76	65
47	Mississippi	$22,835	$10.98	9
48	Maryland	$18,420	$8.86	46
49	Tennessee	$17,937	$8.62	42
50	South Dakota	$22,404	$10.77	2
51	District of Columbia	$22,303	$10.72	4

Highest Paying Cities For Garbage Collectors

Rank	City	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
1	Fairfield, CA	$43,658	$20.99
2	Hayward, CA	$43,627	$20.97
3	Tracy, CA	$43,379	$20.86
4	El Dorado Hills, CA	$43,310	$20.82
5	Renton, WA	$39,979	$19.22
6	Beaverton, OR	$37,444	$18.00
7	Portland, OR	$37,394	$17.98
8	Ogden, UT	$35,003	$16.83
9	Taylorsville, UT	$34,933	$16.79
10	Salt Lake City, UT	$34,921	$16.79
11	Orem, UT	$34,787	$16.72
12	Dracut, MA	$34,764	$16.71
13	Canton, MA	$34,543	$16.61
14	Reno, NV	$34,449	$16.56
15	Nantucket, MA	$34,287	$16.48

Garbage Collector Salary by Years of Experience

The salary for a garbage collector can vary depending on the years of experience that a person has, from entry level to senior level. An accountant with 0-2 years of experience earns an average salary of $21,374, a mid-career professional with 3-6 years of experience makes $29,093 a year on average, and a senior level accountant with 7-12 years of experience enjoys an average annual salary of $33,218. Data on how experience level affects total compensation is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Garbage Collector Salary By Experience Level

Experience Level	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
Entry Level	$21,400	$10.28
Mid Level	$26,900	$12.92
Senior Level	$33,200	$15.97

Garbage Collectors Salary Details

Average Garbage Collector Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a Garbage Collector's Salary?

Percentile	Annual Salary	Monthly Salary	Hourly Rate
90th Percentile	$39,000	$3,250	$19
75th Percentile	$34,000	$2,833	$16
Average	$29,093	$2,424	$14
25th Percentile	$24,000	$2,000	$12
10th Percentile	$21,000	$1,750	$10

Highest Paying Types of Garbage Collectors

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
Trash Collector	$29,503	$2,459	$14.18	3,364
Collector	$34,872	$2,906	$16.77	23,948

Here are the five companies hiring the most now:

Which Companies Pay Garbage Collectors The Most?

The highest paying companies for garbage collectors are City of Charleston and A+ Products according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, companies like Valet Living and FAST TRACK AGENCY LIMITED report highly competitive wages for garbage collectors.

Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
1	City of Charleston	$30,877	$14.84
2	A+ Products	$30,109	$14.48
3	Valet Living	$29,506	$14.19	497
4	FAST TRACK AGENCY LIMITED	$27,406	$13.18
5	PeopleReady	$26,695	$12.83	24

Garbage Collector Pay Trends

Average Garbage Collector Salary Over Time

Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Garbage Collector Salary By Year

Year	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate	% Change
2023	$29,100	$13.99	+3.2%
2022	$28,200	$13.54	+1.5%
2021	$27,700	$13.33	+3.0%
2020	$26,900	$12.94	+2.5%
2019	$26,200	$12.62	+4.2%

Recently Added Garbage Collector Salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date Added	Salary
Rock Staffing.	Residential Garbage Collector	Marietta, GA	10/31/2022	$27,131
Peopleready	Garbage Collector	Spanish Fort, AL	08/23/2022	$25,044
Peopleready	Garbage Collector	Daytona Beach, FL	08/23/2022	$22,957
Peopleready	Trash Loader/Garbage Collector	Port Charlotte, FL	07/19/2022	$31,305
Peopleready	Garbage Collector	Jackson, GA	06/29/2022	$27,131
Rock Staffing.	Residential Garbage Collector	Marietta, GA	06/27/2022	$27,131
Short Staffed (Reed Burson)	Garbage Collector	Sioux City, IA	05/20/2022	$29,218
Peopleready	Garbage Hopper	Columbus, GA	04/20/2022	$29,218
Valet Living	Day Garbage Collector Up To +Bonus Truck Required	Louisville, CO	02/28/2022	$33,392
Peopleready	Garbage Hopper	Jackson, MS	02/23/2022	$29,218

Garbage Collector Salaries FAQs

What State Pays Garbage Collectors The Most?

Alaska pays Garbage Collectors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $43,551 per year, or $20.94 per hour.

How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As A Garbage Collector?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a Garbage Collector if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in California you should be paid close to $42,121 per year.

How Much Do Garbage Men Make?

Garbage men make an average annual salary of $44,608. However, the salaries of garbage can vary depending on location.

Large cities often see garbage men having higher salaries. For example, the average salary of a garbage man in San Francisco is $66,846 per year. And the average salary of a garbage man in the state of California as a whole is $59,380.

Have more questions? See all answers to common transportation questions.

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Updated February 6, 2023