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Water/wastewater engineer salary
Average water/wastewater engineer salary
$85,682
Average Water/Wastewater Engineer Salary
The average salary for a Water/Wastewater Engineer in the United States stands at $85,682 annually, equating to approximately $41 per hour. This figure varies based on factors such as experience, education, and location. Entry-level positions typically start around $64,000, while seasoned engineers can earn over $105,000 per year.
Salary by Experience Level
Engineers with less than five years of experience can expect to earn around $70,000, while those with five to ten years see a significant increase, averaging $85,000. Professionals with over ten years in the field can earn upwards of $100,000.
Top-Paying States
Geographic location greatly affects salary. States such as California, New York, and Texas offer some of the highest salaries for Water/Wastewater Engineers. In these areas, salaries can exceed $95,000 annually due to higher living costs and demand for skilled professionals.
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Where can a Water/Wastewater Engineer earn more?
Water/wastewater engineer salaries by experience level
Water/wastewater engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average water/wastewater engineer salary by state
The average water/wastewater engineer salary in Oregon, California, and Louisiana are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average water/wastewater engineer salary states are Indiana, Wyoming, and Alabama.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for water/wastewater engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $111,569 | $53.64 |
| 2 | California | $110,665 | $53.20 |
| 3 | Idaho | $102,159 | $49.11 |
| 4 | Washington | $99,074 | $47.63 |
| 5 | Nevada | $94,284 | $45.33 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $101,552 | $48.82 |
| 7 | Louisiana | $103,694 | $49.85 |
| 8 | Vermont | $91,393 | $43.94 |
| 9 | Maine | $102,940 | $49.49 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $92,850 | $44.64 |
| 11 | Texas | $88,275 | $42.44 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $93,577 | $44.99 |
| 13 | Arizona | $88,132 | $42.37 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $87,048 | $41.85 |
| 15 | Michigan | $87,287 | $41.96 |
| 16 | Delaware | $86,439 | $41.56 |
| 17 | New Mexico | $91,093 | $43.79 |
| 18 | Virginia | $86,731 | $41.70 |
| 19 | Alaska | $91,596 | $44.04 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $93,782 | $45.09 |
| 21 | Maryland | $87,191 | $41.92 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $86,565 | $41.62 |
| 23 | New York | $87,404 | $42.02 |
| 24 | Colorado | $84,852 | $40.79 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $80,149 | $38.53 |
| 26 | Georgia | $82,596 | $39.71 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $87,031 | $41.84 |
| 28 | New Jersey | $88,127 | $42.37 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $83,575 | $40.18 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $82,479 | $39.65 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $78,672 | $37.82 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $81,414 | $39.14 |
| 33 | Utah | $76,508 | $36.78 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $82,764 | $39.79 |
| 35 | Iowa | $78,426 | $37.70 |
| 36 | Illinois | $80,414 | $38.66 |
| 37 | Kansas | $77,731 | $37.37 |
| 38 | Florida | $75,153 | $36.13 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $77,312 | $37.17 |
| 40 | Montana | $76,469 | $36.76 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $73,649 | $35.41 |
| 42 | Ohio | $71,349 | $34.30 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $71,728 | $34.48 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $70,796 | $34.04 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $69,080 | $33.21 |
| 46 | Alabama | $68,951 | $33.15 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $73,281 | $35.23 |
| 48 | Indiana | $70,533 | $33.91 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $67,791 | $32.59 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $62,566 | $30.08 |
| 51 | Missouri | $64,561 | $31.04 |
Highest paying cities for water/wastewater engineers
The highest-paying cities for water/wastewater engineers are Walnut Creek, CA, Portland, OR, and Baton Rouge, LA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walnut Creek, CA | $115,554 | $55.55 |
| 2 | Portland, OR | $110,621 | $53.18 |
| 3 | Baton Rouge, LA | $103,892 | $49.95 |
| 4 | Coeur dAlene, ID | $103,840 | $49.92 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $99,693 | $47.93 |
| 6 | Albuquerque, NM | $91,044 | $43.77 |
| 7 | Austin, TX | $89,377 | $42.97 |
| 8 | Phoenix, AZ | $88,305 | $42.45 |
| 9 | New York, NY | $87,572 | $42.10 |
| 10 | Baltimore, MD | $87,396 | $42.02 |
| 11 | Virginia Beach, VA | $86,683 | $41.67 |
| 12 | Denver, CO | $84,699 | $40.72 |
| 13 | Tulsa, OK | $82,640 | $39.73 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $82,511 | $39.67 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $80,845 | $38.87 |
| 16 | Cranberry, PA | $80,811 | $38.85 |
| 17 | Omaha, NE | $80,207 | $38.56 |
| 18 | Charlotte, NC | $77,636 | $37.33 |
| 19 | Tampa, FL | $76,038 | $36.56 |
| 20 | Cincinnati, OH | $69,172 | $33.26 |
Water/wastewater engineer salary details
A water/wastewater engineer's salary ranges from $58,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $125,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a water/wastewater engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $125,000 | $10,417 | $60 |
| 75th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
| Average | $85,682 | $7,140 | $41 |
| 25th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
| 10th Percentile | $58,000 | $4,833 | $28 |
Highest paying water/wastewater engineer jobs
The highest paying types of water/wastewater engineers are director water and waste services, water engineer, and wastewater design engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineer | $70,950 | $5,912 | $34.11 | 26,803 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Water Resources Engineer | $80,432 | $6,703 | $38.67 | 38,911 |
| Water Engineer | $98,752 | $8,229 | $47.48 | 8,851 |
| Wastewater Project Engineer | $76,181 | $6,348 | $36.63 | 23,130 |
Top companies hiring water/wastewater engineers now:
Which companies pay water/wastewater engineers the most?
Water/wastewater engineer salaries at EMA and Monster Products are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average water/wastewater engineer salary at companies like ERG and Wiley are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EMA | $105,989 | $50.96 |
| 2 | Monster Products | $104,282 | $50.14 |
| 3 | ERG | $97,122 | $46.69 |
| 4 | Wiley | $90,288 | $43.41 |
| 5 | Carrier | $90,140 | $43.34 |
| 6 | URS E&C Holdings Inc | $87,780 | $42.20 |
| 7 | LVI Holding Corporation | $87,780 | $42.20 |
| 8 | CONSOR Engineers | $87,780 | $42.20 |
| 9 | Amec Foster Wheeler | $87,780 | $42.20 |
| 10 | Jacobs Enterprises | $87,777 | $42.20 |
| 11 | Goodwin Recruiting | $87,021 | $41.84 |
| 12 | Snc-lavalin Project Services, Inc. | $86,993 | $41.82 |
| 13 | Ghd Inc | $86,938 | $41.80 |
| 14 | Murraysmith | $86,817 | $41.74 |
| 15 | Jea | $86,535 | $41.60 |
| 16 | Ch2M Hill | $86,319 | $41.50 |
| 17 | Davis & Floyd | $86,259 | $41.47 |
| 18 | Whitman | $86,059 | $41.37 |
| 19 | Century Engineering | $85,832 | $41.27 |
| 20 | Carollo Engineers | $85,817 | $41.26 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Water/Wastewater Engineer salary by industry
The average water/wastewater engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average water/wastewater engineer salary in the construction industry is $83,748, the highest of any industry.
- The average water/wastewater engineer salary in the finance industry is $82,363.
- Water/wastewater engineers in the government industry earn an average salary of $56,104, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for water/wastewater engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction | $83,748 | $40.26 |
| 2 | Technology | $82,363 | $39.60 |
| 3 | Professional | $79,836 | $38.38 |
| 4 | Government | $56,104 | $26.97 |
High paying water/wastewater engineer jobs
Water/wastewater engineer salary trends
The average water/wastewater engineer salary has risen by $12,156 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average water/wastewater engineer earned $73,526 annually, but today, they earn $85,682 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for water/wastewater engineers over the last decade.
Compare water/wastewater engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average water/wastewater engineer salary over time
Compare water/wastewater engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Water/wastewater engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $85,700 | $41.19 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | $82,700 | $39.74 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $81,500 | $39.18 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | $80,700 | $38.81 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $79,000 | $37.96 | +0.4% |
Recently added water/wastewater engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier | Water/Wastewater Engineer | Westborough, MA | 06/30/2025 | $92,856 |
| Barr Systems | Water/Wastewater Engineer-Mid Level (Hybrid) | Duluth, MN | 06/30/2025 | $75,000 |
| Stantec Inc. | Senior Water/Wastewater Engineer | Urban Honolulu, HI | 06/29/2025 | $101,754 |
| Remington & Vernick Engineers, Inc. | Water Wastewater Engineer | Laurel, MD | 06/29/2025 | $92,000 |
| Actalent | SR. Water Wastewater Engineer | Newark, DE | 06/29/2025 | $120,000 |
| Actalent | Water Wastewater Engineer | Fountain Valley, CA | 06/29/2025 | $90,000 |
| Delve | Lead Associate Water/Wastewater Tunnel Engineer | Boston, MA | 06/28/2025 | $120,954 |
| Stvinc | Water/Wastewater Engineer | Atlanta, GA | 06/28/2025 | $95,454 |
| Actalent | Water Wastewater Engineer | Springville, UT | 06/27/2025 | $100,000 |
| Actalent | Water Wastewater Civil Engineer EIT or PE | Phoenix, AZ | 06/27/2025 | $73,045 |
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