Water superintendent vs plant manager

The differences between water superintendents and plant managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a water superintendent and a plant manager. Additionally, a plant manager has an average salary of $113,843, which is higher than the $62,689 average annual salary of a water superintendent.

The top three skills for a water superintendent include OSHA, water distribution system and construction projects. The most important skills for a plant manager are continuous improvement, customer service, and safety program.

Water superintendent vs plant manager overview

	Water Superintendent	Plant Manager
Yearly salary	$62,689	$113,843
Hourly rate	$30.14	$54.73
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	15,251	275,962
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Water superintendent vs plant manager salary

Water superintendents and plant managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Water Superintendent	Plant Manager
Average salary	$62,689	$113,843
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $129,000	Between $85,000 And $152,000
Highest paying City	-	Richmond, CA
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Koch Industries
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between water superintendent and plant manager education

There are a few differences between a water superintendent and a plant manager in terms of educational background:

	Water Superintendent	Plant Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Water superintendent vs plant manager demographics

Here are the differences between water superintendents' and plant managers' demographics:

	Water Superintendent	Plant Manager
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2%	Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between water superintendent and plant manager duties and responsibilities

Water superintendent example responsibilities.

Create and manage comprehensive database of groundwater production assets.
Review, consult and work with reclamation district representatives or their contractors when performing field geotechnical studies and/or geophysical measurements.
Prepare, maintain, and submit required reports to upper management and military personnel.

Plant manager example responsibilities.

Manage 65 plant production and five plant supervisors in bilingual union manufacturing HVAC plant.
Manage compliance and training for the facility HACCP plan and are awarded PICQS plus status on annual audit.
Lead skilled trades in the repair and maintenance of robotics, PLC, hydraulic and electrical switchgear applications.
Lead OEE & SMED initiatives to improve machine utilization, up-time, throughput, change-over time, & yield.
Manage daily operations of USDA facility.
Coordinate monthly safety meetings, provide training and lead internal inspections that foster OSHA awareness.

Water superintendent vs plant manager skills

Common water superintendent skills

OSHA, 13%
Water Distribution System, 11%
Construction Projects, 10%
Water Treatment Plant, 9%
Regulatory Compliance, 7%
Pump Stations, 6%

Common plant manager skills

Continuous Improvement, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Safety Program, 6%
Plant Operations, 6%
Lean Manufacturing, 6%
OSHA, 5%