How To Become A Meter Reader: What It Is and Career Path

What is a meter reader and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Meter readers work for companies that provide utilities or services to customers. They are responsible for traveling to different residential and commercial locations on assigned routes and gathering accurate data regarding the amount of utilities used. Many meter readers work for gas, electric, and water companies.

Their responsibilities in this capacity are to connect and disconnect utilities at different locations. Gas, electric, steam consumption, and water meters all must be read with electronic devices, or the findings must be written down in a route book to enter into the computer at the end of the collection route. Readers drive or walk down specific routes to gather information from each customer on that route. They also check meters on properties for defects and damage as well as for signs of utility theft with unauthorized connections to any systems. Readers must report all lost or broken utility keys to their supervisors immediately. No formal education requirements exist, but a high school diploma or a GED is desirable. Moreover, most employers provide on the job training, so no prior work experience is required.

The average hourly salary for the position is $21.72, which amounts to $45,170 annually.

ScoreMeter ReaderUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $46,504

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.72%

Asian 1.55%

Black or African American 10.59%

Hispanic or Latino 9.77%

Unknown 5.11%

White 72.25%

Gender

female 21.04%

male 78.96%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

8.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a meter reader

Explore meter reader education requirements

Most common meter reader degrees

High School Diploma

43.4 %

Associate

20.8 %

Bachelor's

20.2 %

Start to develop specific meter reader skills

Skills	Percentages
Gas Meters	35.00%
Safety Procedures	21.08%
Utility Meters	6.07%
Meter Boxes	5.90%
Billing Purposes	4.62%

Complete relevant meter reader training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New meter readers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a meter reader based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real meter reader resumes.

Research meter reader duties and responsibilities

Replace old AMI meters to new AMR meters while recognizing safety procedure and reporting any problems to supervisor.
Don the PPE to remove old meters.
Train and supervise newly hire employees to read meters and install AMR devices.
Perform audits for Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance and other laws and regulations.

Prepare your meter reader resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your meter reader resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a meter reader resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable meter reader resume templates

Build a professional meter reader resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your meter reader resume.