Orange County water operator salary, 2025

5 people worked as water operators for Orange County in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $109,811.

What is the average water operator salary at Orange County?

Official pay range1

$68,432 to $92,186

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

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$109,811

average base pay $84,278

Most of Orange County's water operators (5 of 5) hold the title Pumping Station Operator, with an official range of $68,432 to $92,186. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $109,811, $17,625 above the top of the range.

Water operators
5
5 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$68,432
bottom of the Pumping Station Operator range
Median total pay
$109,359
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
176th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Orange County 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. Pumping Station Operator$68,432 to $92,186 · 5 people
    $109,811

official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.

Does Orange County pay water operators more than other employers in Orange County?

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

Full-year water operators at Orange County earned $18,850 less than the Orange County average and $13,915 less than the California average.

Where does Orange County rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Orange County ranks 176th of 300, below the middle employer.

Orange County
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 19 employers in Orange County

Orange County ranks 16th of 19, below the middle employer.

Orange County
$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 Orange County

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

Pension formula
1.62% at 65
the most common formula among Orange County's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$9,413
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$20,532
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Orange County

What is the average water operator salary at Orange County?

Water operators at Orange County who worked the full year earned an average of $109,811 in 2025. The middle water operator earned $109,359: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $68,432 to $92,186.

How much overtime do water operators at Orange County earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $1,845 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $1,622: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Orange County get?

The most common pension formula among Orange County's water operators is 1.62% at 65, as reported by the county. The employer paid an average of $9,413 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Orange County

Sources for the Orange County figures

Every person who held a water operator position at Orange County 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 Orange County.

How we read the data