Ceres water operator salary, 2025

Ceres is a city in Stanislaus County. 19 people worked as water operators for Ceres in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $73,027, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Ceres?

Official pay range, water system operators1

$52,603 to $77,917

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

$73,027

average base pay $63,582

The largest group of Ceres's water operators (8 of 19) hold the title 6130 Water Operator I/II, with an official range of $52,603 to $70,595. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $61,781, within the range.

Water operators
19
18 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$48,859
bottom of the 6110 Wastewater Operator I/II range
Median total pay
$68,129
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
286th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Ceres 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. 6130 Water Operator I/II$52,603 to $70,595 · 8 people
    $61,781
  2. 6132 Sr Water Operator$64,105 to $77,917 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Wastewater treatment operators

  1. 6110 Wastewater Operator I/II$48,859 to $65,562 · 5 people
    $61,739
  2. 6112 Sr Wastewater Operator$59,529 to $72,342 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. 3580 Wastewater Systems Supervisor$73,465 to $89,294 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Water distribution operators

  1. 3590 Water Distribution Supervisor$71,676 to $87,131 · 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 Ceres pay water operators more than other employers in Stanislaus County?

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

Full-year water operators at Ceres earned $22,825 less than the Stanislaus County average and $50,699 less than the California average.

Where does Ceres rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Ceres ranks 286th of 300, below the middle employer.

Ceres
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 8 employers in Stanislaus County

Ceres ranks 8th of 8, below the middle employer.

Ceres
$80k$100k$120k$140k

Middle employer: $94,904

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 Ceres

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 Ceres's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$19,856
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$20,365
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Ceres

What is the average water operator salary at Ceres?

Water operators at Ceres who worked the full year earned an average of $73,027 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $68,129: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $52,603 to $77,917.

How much overtime do water operators at Ceres earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $2,483 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $426: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Ceres get?

The most common pension formula among Ceres's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $19,856 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Stanislaus County

Sources for the Ceres figures

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

How we read the data