What is the typical salary range for a Water/Wastewater Engineer?

Pay typically falls between $82,500 and $134,000 per year depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.

Water/Wastewater Engineer Salary: $112,500 Average

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Average base salary

$112,500 / year

≈ $9,400 per month · $54.09 per hour

LocationOr metro area

25th percentile
$82,500Average
$112,50075th percentile
$134,000

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (occupation group), with detailed role definition from O*NET, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.

Water/Wastewater Engineer salary by state

Alabama$111,500

Alaska$123,000

Arizona$100,500

Arkansas$92,500

California$129,000

Colorado$118,500

Connecticut$115,000

Delaware$111,500

District of Columbia$120,000

Florida$107,500

Georgia$101,500

Hawaii$99,500

Idaho$104,500

Illinois$109,000

Indiana$103,500

Iowa$103,500

Kansas$104,500

Kentucky$109,000

Louisiana$112,000

Maine$103,000

Maryland$111,000

Massachusetts$121,500

Michigan$98,000

Minnesota$111,500

Mississippi$108,500

Missouri$102,500

Montana$96,000

Nebraska$110,500

Nevada$119,000

New Hampshire$103,000

New Jersey$119,000

New Mexico$115,000

New York$122,000

North Carolina$108,500

North Dakota$102,000

Ohio$104,500

Oklahoma$109,500

Oregon$120,000

Pennsylvania$104,500

Rhode Island$114,500

South Carolina$110,500

South Dakota$103,000

Tennessee$107,000

Texas$108,000

Utah$104,000

Vermont$101,000

Virginia$109,000

Washington$122,000

West Virginia$94,500

Wisconsin$100,500

Wyoming$100,000

About this role

Water/Wastewater Engineer is a professional role within the function in the Architecture and Engineering job family.

Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.

What Water/Wastewater Engineers do

Typical education: Bachelor's Degree

Provide technical direction or supervision to junior engineers, engineering or computer-aided design (CAD) technicians, or other technical personnel.
Review and critique proposals, plans, or designs related to water or wastewater treatment systems.
Design domestic or industrial water or wastewater treatment plants, including advanced facilities with sequencing batch reactors (SBR), membranes, lift stations, headworks, surge overflow basins, ultraviolet disinfection systems, aerobic digesters, sludge lagoons, or control buildings.
Evaluate the operation and maintenance of water or wastewater systems to identify ways to improve their efficiency.
Design or select equipment for use in wastewater processing to ensure compliance with government standards.

Top skills: Writing Reading Comprehension Judgment and Decision Making Critical Thinking Systems Evaluation Systems Analysis

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).

Water/Wastewater Engineer pay by experience level

Entry level$70,500

Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)

Early career$82,500

A few years in (about the 25th percentile)

Experienced$104,500

Mid-career median pay

Senior$134,000

Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)

Top earners$169,000

Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)

Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.

Job outlook

+5%

projected change in jobs, 2024–2034

23,600

projected openings per year

Growing about as fast as average

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.

Water/Wastewater Engineer salary by industry

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

208,300 workers

$114,000

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services

201,620 workers

$113,500

Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS

85,150 workers

$116,500

State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)

37,800 workers

$109,500

Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)

37,220 workers

$122,000

Construction of Buildings

30,160 workers

$94,500

Nonresidential Building Construction

27,670 workers

$94,500

Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction

11,850 workers

$102,000

Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)

10,140 workers

$121,500

Specialty Trade Contractors

6,850 workers

$101,000

National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.

How this role compares

Water/Wastewater Engineer pays 4% above the average across 59 roles in the Architecture and Engineering job family (family average $108,000).

Similar-paying roles in Architecture and Engineering

Civil Engineer$112,500

Agricultural Engineer$112,000

Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists$113,500

Architects, Except Landscape and Naval$110,000

Environmental Engineer$117,000

Automotive Engineer$117,500

Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers$119,500

Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers$121,000

Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers$124,000

Materials Engineer$124,500

Careers related to Water/Wastewater Engineer

Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians$71,500

Construction Manager$129,000

Energy Auditor$80,500

Environmental Engineer$117,000

Architectural and Civil Drafters$73,000

Architectural and Engineering Managers$188,000

Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Water/Wastewater Engineer make?

The average base salary for a Water/Wastewater Engineer in the United States is $112,500 per year, or about $54.09 per hour.

What is the typical salary range?

Pay typically falls between $82,500 and $134,000 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.

How does this compare with other Architecture and Engineering roles?

The Architecture and Engineering job family averages $108,000 across 59 roles tracked by WePayFairly.

Need a defensible market price for this role?
WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.

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