Chico water operator salary, 2025

Chico is a city in Butte County. 8 people worked as water operators for Chico in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $121,032, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Chico?

Official pay range1

$66,456 to $107,786

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest water operator title

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$121,032

average base pay $95,223

Water operators
8
6 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$66,456
bottom of the Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator II range
Median total pay
$123,268
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
138th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Chico 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

  1. Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator II$66,456 to $89,066 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator III$73,091 to $97,968 · 6 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations Supervisor$80,434 to $107,786 · 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 Chico pay water operators more than other employers in Butte County?

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

Full-year water operators at Chico earned $14,196 more than the Butte County average and $2,694 less than the California average.

Where does Chico rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Chico ranks 138th of 300, above the middle employer.

Chico
$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 Chico

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 Chico's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$10,456
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$13,322
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Chico

What is the average water operator salary at Chico?

Water operators at Chico who worked the full year earned an average of $121,032 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $123,268: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $66,456 to $107,786.

How much overtime do water operators at Chico earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $5,728 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $5,361: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Chico get?

The most common pension formula among Chico's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $10,456 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Butte County

Sources for the Chico figures

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

How we read the data