Merced water operator salary, 2025

Merced is a city in Merced County. 35 people worked as water operators for Merced in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $81,994, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Merced?

Official pay range, water distribution operators1

$55,180 to $81,541

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

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$81,994

average base pay $72,967

The largest group of Merced's water operators (8 of 35) hold the title Water Distribution Operator II, with an official range of $60,845 to $73,958. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $67,711, within the range.

Water operators
35
24 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$55,180
bottom of the Water Distribution Operator I range
Median total pay
$84,320
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
276th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Merced 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 distribution operators

  1. Water Distribution Operator I$55,180 to $67,071 · 7 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Water Distribution Operator II$60,845 to $73,958 · 8 people
    $67,711
  3. Water Distribution Oper III$67,084 to $81,541 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Water system operators

  1. Water Systems Operator$70,919 to $86,202 · 5 people
    fewer than 5

Wastewater treatment operators

  1. Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator I$70,277 to $85,423 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator II$73,804 to $89,710 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator III$77,492 to $94,192 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations Supervisor$84,217 to $102,366 · 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 Merced pay water operators more than other employers in Merced County?

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

Full-year water operators at Merced earned $6,350 less than the Merced County average and $41,732 less than the California average.

Where does Merced rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Merced ranks 276th of 300, below the middle employer.

Merced
$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 Merced

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 Merced's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$7,298
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$16,749
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Merced

What is the average water operator salary at Merced?

Water operators at Merced who worked the full year earned an average of $81,994 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $84,320: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $55,180 to $81,541.

How much overtime do water operators at Merced earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $4,083 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $2,833: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Merced get?

The most common pension formula among Merced's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $7,298 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Merced County

Sources for the Merced figures

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

How we read the data