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Best states for a sanitation worker
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and building and grounds maintenance careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to sanitation worker jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for sanitation workers.Our research shows that Washington is the best state in the country for sanitation workers.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for sanitation workers. Washington is the best state for sanitation workers, where the median salary is $43,070.We found that Washington is the best state for sanitation worker jobs, whereas Mississippi is the worst.
10 best states for sanitation workers in 2026
1. Washington
Total sanitation worker jobs: 918 Average annual salary: $43,070 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Location Quotient: 1.69
2. South Dakota
Total sanitation worker jobs: 136 Average annual salary: $38,305 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 1.71
3. Oregon
Total sanitation worker jobs: 490 Average annual salary: $40,736 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Location Quotient: 1.59
4. California
Total sanitation worker jobs: 3,449 Average annual salary: $41,519 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Location Quotient: 1.59
5. Hawaii
Total sanitation worker jobs: 107 Average annual salary: $40,554 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Location Quotient: 1.72
6. Nevada
Total sanitation worker jobs: 25 Average annual salary: $43,695 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Location Quotient: 0.16
7. Minnesota
Total sanitation worker jobs: 130 Average annual salary: $41,074 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Location Quotient: 0.26
8. Alaska
Total sanitation worker jobs: 7 Average annual salary: $47,186 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Location Quotient: 0.11
9. Wisconsin
Total sanitation worker jobs: 145 Average annual salary: $37,420 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Location Quotient: 0.35
10. Wyoming
Total sanitation worker jobs: 62 Average annual salary: $35,891 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Location Quotient: 1.39
Sanitation worker jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a sanitation worker
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a sanitation worker
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $43,070 | $34,000 | 7,405,743 | 918 |
| 2 | South Dakota | $38,305 | $30,000 | 869,666 | 136 |
| 3 | Oregon | $40,736 | $31,000 | 4,142,776 | 490 |
| 4 | California | $41,519 | $31,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,449 |
| 5 | Hawaii | $40,554 | $32,000 | 1,427,538 | 107 |
| 6 | Nevada | $43,695 | $33,000 | 2,998,039 | 25 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $41,074 | $33,000 | 5,576,606 | 130 |
| 8 | Alaska | $47,186 | $39,000 | 739,795 | 7 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $37,420 | $30,000 | 5,795,483 | 145 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $35,891 | $28,000 | 579,315 | 62 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $36,297 | $28,000 | 3,588,184 | 375 |
| 12 | Vermont | $36,266 | $29,000 | 623,657 | 30 |
| 13 | Colorado | $36,568 | $29,000 | 5,607,154 | 631 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $32,526 | $25,000 | 1,815,857 | 223 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $37,469 | $30,000 | 755,393 | 3 |
| 16 | New York | $36,044 | $28,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,403 |
| 17 | Nebraska | $33,208 | $26,000 | 1,920,076 | 283 |
| 18 | Utah | $33,797 | $26,000 | 3,101,833 | 379 |
| 19 | Iowa | $34,312 | $27,000 | 3,145,711 | 114 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $38,617 | $30,000 | 693,972 | 96 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $38,120 | $30,000 | 6,859,819 | 67 |
| 22 | Maine | $34,794 | $28,000 | 1,335,907 | 40 |
| 23 | Montana | $36,190 | $29,000 | 1,050,493 | 9 |
| 24 | Missouri | $33,748 | $26,000 | 6,113,532 | 669 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $35,724 | $28,000 | 1,059,639 | 7 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $35,084 | $28,000 | 1,342,795 | 25 |
| 27 | Indiana | $32,757 | $26,000 | 6,666,818 | 150 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $31,054 | $24,000 | 6,715,984 | 703 |
| 29 | Idaho | $32,766 | $25,000 | 1,716,943 | 183 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $32,912 | $26,000 | 12,805,537 | 254 |
| 31 | Arizona | $34,159 | $26,000 | 7,016,270 | 44 |
| 32 | Illinois | $34,062 | $27,000 | 12,802,023 | 253 |
| 33 | Ohio | $32,445 | $25,000 | 11,658,609 | 178 |
| 34 | Delaware | $32,470 | $25,000 | 961,939 | 103 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $34,374 | $27,000 | 9,005,644 | 77 |
| 36 | Maryland | $33,818 | $26,000 | 6,052,177 | 64 |
| 37 | Michigan | $31,834 | $25,000 | 9,962,311 | 130 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $27,967 | $21,000 | 4,684,333 | 386 |
| 39 | Texas | $29,972 | $22,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,055 |
| 40 | Kansas | $30,760 | $24,000 | 2,913,123 | 66 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $29,402 | $23,000 | 3,930,864 | 284 |
| 42 | Georgia | $28,075 | $22,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,201 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $28,290 | $22,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,001 |
| 44 | Florida | $26,368 | $20,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,017 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $29,164 | $23,000 | 4,454,189 | 79 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $28,869 | $22,000 | 3,004,279 | 48 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $27,977 | $21,000 | 2,088,070 | 201 |
| 48 | Virginia | $28,154 | $22,000 | 8,470,020 | 938 |
| 49 | Alabama | $26,180 | $20,000 | 4,874,747 | 482 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $24,979 | $19,000 | 5,024,369 | 482 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $24,328 | $18,000 | 2,984,100 | 34 |
Highest paying states for sanitation workers
| Rank | State | Avg. Sanitation Worker Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $43,070 |
| 2 | South Dakota | $38,305 |
| 3 | Oregon | $40,736 |
| 4 | California | $41,519 |
| 5 | Hawaii | $40,554 |
| 6 | Nevada | $43,695 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $41,074 |
| 8 | Alaska | $47,186 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $37,420 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $35,891 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $36,297 |
| 12 | Vermont | $36,266 |
| 13 | Colorado | $36,568 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $32,526 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $37,469 |
| 16 | New York | $36,044 |
| 17 | Nebraska | $33,208 |
| 18 | Utah | $33,797 |
| 19 | Iowa | $34,312 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $38,617 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $38,120 |
| 22 | Maine | $34,794 |
| 23 | Montana | $36,190 |
| 24 | Missouri | $33,748 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $35,724 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $35,084 |
| 27 | Indiana | $32,757 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $31,054 |
| 29 | Idaho | $32,766 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $32,912 |
| 31 | Arizona | $34,159 |
| 32 | Illinois | $34,062 |
| 33 | Ohio | $32,445 |
| 34 | Delaware | $32,470 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $34,374 |
| 36 | Maryland | $33,818 |
| 37 | Michigan | $31,834 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $27,967 |
| 39 | Texas | $29,972 |
| 40 | Kansas | $30,760 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $29,402 |
| 42 | Georgia | $28,075 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $28,290 |
| 44 | Florida | $26,368 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $29,164 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $28,869 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $27,977 |
| 48 | Virginia | $28,154 |
| 49 | Alabama | $26,180 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $24,979 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $24,328 |
Sanitation worker best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025