Arcata water operator salary, 2025

Arcata is a city in Humboldt County. 8 people worked as water operators for Arcata in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $73,321, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Arcata?

Official pay range, water and wastewater operators1

$40,019 to $69,858

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest title for water and wastewater operators, the largest group

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$73,321

average base pay $62,165

Water operators
8
5 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$40,019
bottom of the Operator-In-Training Apprentice-Water/Wastewater range
Median total pay
$68,011
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
285th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Arcata pay?

Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average total pay of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.1

Water and wastewater operators

  1. Operator-In-Training Apprentice-Water/Wastewater$40,019 to $44,173 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Water/Wastewater Operator-In-Training (Oit)$45,060 to $57,510 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Water/Wastewater Plant Operator I$52,072 to $66,459 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. Water/Wastewater Operator II$54,736 to $69,858 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Wastewater collection operators

  1. Collection System Operator I$47,838 to $61,055 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Lead Collection System Operator$55,284 to $70,559 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.

Does Arcata pay water operators more than other employers in Humboldt County?

Average total pay of full-year water operators: Arcata next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1

Full-year water operators at Arcata earned $3,639 more than the Humboldt County average and $50,405 less than the California average.

Where does Arcata rank among California employers?

Every employer with at least 5 full-year water operators, by average total pay.1

All 300 California employers

Arcata ranks 285th of 300, below the middle employer.

Arcata
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

Each bar counts the employers whose average total pay falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.

Pension and health cover at Arcata

As reported by the city. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year water operator, on top of wages.1

Pension formula
2% at 62
the most common formula among Arcata's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$6,096
average per year
Health, dental and vision
Not reported
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Arcata

What is the average water operator salary at Arcata?

Water operators at Arcata who worked the full year earned an average of $73,321 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $68,011: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $40,019 to $69,858.

How much overtime do water operators at Arcata earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $3,835 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $3,439: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Arcata get?

The most common pension formula among Arcata's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $6,096 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Humboldt County

Sources for the Arcata figures

Every person who held a water operator position at Arcata at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Averages lead; the median total pay is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with a lot of overtime. Every figure covers at least 5 people.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by Arcata.

How we read the data