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Best states for a water plant operator
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to water plant operator jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. As water plant operators are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for water plant operators. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a water plant operator, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for water plant operators.We found that Vermont is the best state for water plant operator jobs, whereas Arkansas is the worst.
10 best states for water plant operators in 2025
1. Vermont
Total water plant operator jobs: 24 Average annual salary: $66,212 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 0.972. Alaska
Total water plant operator jobs: 99 Average annual salary: $64,773 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Location Quotient: 3.693. New Jersey
Total water plant operator jobs: 927 Average annual salary: $60,914 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 3.644. North Dakota
Total water plant operator jobs: 33 Average annual salary: $59,748 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 1.115. Rhode Island
Total water plant operator jobs: 157 Average annual salary: $54,340 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 4.026. Massachusetts
Total water plant operator jobs: 1,283 Average annual salary: $55,499 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 4.357. California
Total water plant operator jobs: 654 Average annual salary: $71,959 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 0.78. Maine
Total water plant operator jobs: 24 Average annual salary: $71,242 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 0.569. Washington
Total water plant operator jobs: 104 Average annual salary: $78,429 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 0.4410. Iowa
Total water plant operator jobs: 166 Average annual salary: $51,389 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Location Quotient: 1.42
Water plant operator jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a water plant operator
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a water plant operator
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | $66,212 | $47,000 | 623,657 | 24 |
| 2 | Alaska | $64,773 | $56,000 | 739,795 | 99 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $60,914 | $41,000 | 9,005,644 | 927 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $59,748 | $45,000 | 755,393 | 33 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $54,340 | $38,000 | 1,059,639 | 157 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $55,499 | $39,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,283 |
| 7 | California | $71,959 | $49,000 | 39,536,653 | 654 |
| 8 | Maine | $71,242 | $51,000 | 1,335,907 | 24 |
| 9 | Washington | $78,429 | $59,000 | 7,405,743 | 104 |
| 10 | Iowa | $51,389 | $37,000 | 3,145,711 | 166 |
| 11 | Oregon | $60,226 | $44,000 | 4,142,776 | 95 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $56,151 | $41,000 | 5,576,606 | 182 |
| 13 | Montana | $51,207 | $38,000 | 1,050,493 | 51 |
| 14 | Nevada | $54,216 | $37,000 | 2,998,039 | 53 |
| 15 | Delaware | $55,204 | $37,000 | 961,939 | 32 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $49,871 | $34,000 | 1,815,857 | 58 |
| 17 | Ohio | $50,749 | $35,000 | 11,658,609 | 307 |
| 18 | Colorado | $55,073 | $40,000 | 5,607,154 | 167 |
| 19 | Utah | $51,468 | $37,000 | 3,101,833 | 90 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $52,673 | $36,000 | 693,972 | 133 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $49,682 | $35,000 | 5,795,483 | 185 |
| 22 | Illinois | $53,441 | $38,000 | 12,802,023 | 279 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $47,947 | $35,000 | 579,315 | 23 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $55,188 | $38,000 | 3,588,184 | 54 |
| 25 | Indiana | $47,651 | $33,000 | 6,666,818 | 197 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $45,960 | $34,000 | 869,666 | 43 |
| 27 | Hawaii | $48,079 | $36,000 | 1,427,538 | 114 |
| 28 | Nebraska | $50,117 | $36,000 | 1,920,076 | 50 |
| 29 | Maryland | $54,133 | $37,000 | 6,052,177 | 102 |
| 30 | Arizona | $47,890 | $34,000 | 7,016,270 | 167 |
| 31 | Idaho | $46,377 | $34,000 | 1,716,943 | 54 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $50,556 | $36,000 | 1,342,795 | 34 |
| 33 | New York | $50,943 | $35,000 | 19,849,399 | 247 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | $45,584 | $31,000 | 12,805,537 | 293 |
| 35 | Michigan | $46,391 | $32,000 | 9,962,311 | 183 |
| 36 | Kansas | $40,167 | $29,000 | 2,913,123 | 90 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $38,837 | $27,000 | 4,454,189 | 111 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $39,853 | $29,000 | 6,715,984 | 153 |
| 39 | Alabama | $39,530 | $28,000 | 4,874,747 | 116 |
| 40 | Virginia | $45,453 | $31,000 | 8,470,020 | 193 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $40,076 | $28,000 | 5,024,369 | 120 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $34,296 | $25,000 | 2,984,100 | 83 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $40,320 | $28,000 | 10,273,419 | 206 |
| 44 | Missouri | $41,482 | $30,000 | 6,113,532 | 107 |
| 45 | Texas | $36,003 | $26,000 | 28,304,596 | 519 |
| 46 | Florida | $39,339 | $27,000 | 20,984,400 | 293 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $35,923 | $26,000 | 2,088,070 | 49 |
| 48 | Georgia | $34,367 | $24,000 | 10,429,379 | 278 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $34,776 | $25,000 | 4,684,333 | 80 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $34,014 | $25,000 | 3,930,864 | 66 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $34,200 | $25,000 | 3,004,279 | 44 |
Highest paying states for water plant operators
| Rank | State | Avg. Water Plant Operator Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | $66,212 |
| 2 | Alaska | $64,773 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $60,914 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $59,748 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $54,340 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $55,499 |
| 7 | California | $71,959 |
| 8 | Maine | $71,242 |
| 9 | Washington | $78,429 |
| 10 | Iowa | $51,389 |
| 11 | Oregon | $60,226 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $56,151 |
| 13 | Montana | $51,207 |
| 14 | Nevada | $54,216 |
| 15 | Delaware | $55,204 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $49,871 |
| 17 | Ohio | $50,749 |
| 18 | Colorado | $55,073 |
| 19 | Utah | $51,468 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $52,673 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $49,682 |
| 22 | Illinois | $53,441 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $47,947 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $55,188 |
| 25 | Indiana | $47,651 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $45,960 |
| 27 | Hawaii | $48,079 |
| 28 | Nebraska | $50,117 |
| 29 | Maryland | $54,133 |
| 30 | Arizona | $47,890 |
| 31 | Idaho | $46,377 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $50,556 |
| 33 | New York | $50,943 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | $45,584 |
| 35 | Michigan | $46,391 |
| 36 | Kansas | $40,167 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $38,837 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $39,853 |
| 39 | Alabama | $39,530 |
| 40 | Virginia | $45,453 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $40,076 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $34,296 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $40,320 |
| 44 | Missouri | $41,482 |
| 45 | Texas | $36,003 |
| 46 | Florida | $39,339 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $35,923 |
| 48 | Georgia | $34,367 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $34,776 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $34,014 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $34,200 |
Water plant operator best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025