Garden Grove water operator salary, 2025

Garden Grove is a city in Orange County. 16 people worked as water operators for Garden Grove in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $113,537, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Garden Grove?

Official pay range, water treatment operators1

$66,207 to $108,130

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

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$113,537

average base pay $89,148

The largest group of Garden Grove's water operators (5 of 16) hold the title Senior Water Production Operator, with an official range of $76,850 to $108,130. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $134,861, $26,731 above the top of the range.

Water operators
16
14 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$59,940
bottom of the Sewer Maintenance Worker range
Median total pay
$111,498
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
160th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Garden Grove 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 treatment operators

  1. Water Production Operator$66,207 to $93,152 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Senior Water Production Operator$76,850 to $108,130 · 5 people
    $134,861

Wastewater collection operators

  1. Sewer Maintenance Worker$59,940 to $84,346 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Senior Sewer Maintenance Worker$62,993 to $88,641 · 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 Garden Grove pay water operators more than other employers in Orange County?

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

Full-year water operators at Garden Grove earned $15,124 less than the Orange County average and $10,189 less than the California average.

Where does Garden Grove rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Garden Grove ranks 160th of 300, below the middle employer.

Garden Grove
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 19 employers in Orange County

Garden Grove ranks 13th of 19, below the middle employer.

Garden Grove
$80k$100k$120k$140k$160k

Middle employer: $131,027

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 Garden Grove

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

Pension formula
2.5% at 55
the most common formula among Garden Grove's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$36,598
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$17,713
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Garden Grove

What is the average water operator salary at Garden Grove?

Water operators at Garden Grove who worked the full year earned an average of $113,537 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $111,498: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $66,207 to $108,130.

How much overtime do water operators at Garden Grove earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $19,686 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $19,620: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Garden Grove get?

The most common pension formula among Garden Grove's water operators is 2.5% at 55, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $36,598 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Orange County

Sources for the Garden Grove figures

Every person who held a water operator position at Garden Grove 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 Garden Grove.

How we read the data