Atwater water operator salary, 2025

Atwater is a city in Merced County. 22 people worked as water operators for Atwater in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $60,374, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Atwater?

Official pay range, water system operators1

$42,232 to $73,976

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

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$60,374

average base pay $50,156

Most of Atwater's water operators (12 of 22) hold the title Water Systems Operator I, with an official range of $42,232 to $53,900. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $55,975, $2,075 above the top of the range.

Water operators
22
12 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$42,232
bottom of the Sewer Maintenance Worker I range
Median total pay
$56,666
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
298th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Atwater 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 system operators

  1. Water Systems Operator I$42,232 to $53,900 · 12 people
    $55,975
  2. Water Systems Pump Operator$57,962 to $73,976 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Wastewater collection operators

  1. Sewer Maintenance Worker I$42,232 to $53,900 · 6 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Sewer Maintenance Worker II$46,475 to $59,315 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Sewer Division Supervisor$68,468 to $87,384 · 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 Atwater pay water operators more than other employers in Merced County?

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

Full-year water operators at Atwater earned $27,970 less than the Merced County average and $63,352 less than the California average.

Where does Atwater rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Atwater ranks 298th of 300, below the middle employer.

Atwater
$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 Atwater

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 Atwater's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$4,801
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$7,576
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Atwater

What is the average water operator salary at Atwater?

Water operators at Atwater who worked the full year earned an average of $60,374 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $56,666: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $42,232 to $73,976.

How much overtime do water operators at Atwater earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $5,270 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $5,208: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Atwater get?

The most common pension formula among Atwater's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $4,801 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Merced County

Sources for the Atwater figures

Every person who held a water operator position at Atwater 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 Atwater.

How we read the data