Patterson water operator salary, 2025

Patterson is a city in Stanislaus County. 10 people worked as water operators for Patterson in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $83,417, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Patterson?

Official pay range, water system operators1

$53,024 to $78,527

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

$83,417

average base pay $68,798

Water operators
10
7 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$53,024
bottom of the Water Operator I range
Median total pay
$81,498
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
275th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Patterson 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. Water Operator I$53,024 to $64,450 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Water Operator II$58,528 to $71,141 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Water Operator III$64,604 to $78,527 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Wastewater treatment operators

  1. Wastewater Operator I$58,528 to $71,141 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Wastewater Operator II$64,604 to $78,527 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Wastewater Operator III$71,311 to $86,679 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. Chief Plant Operator$89,057 to $108,250 · 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 Patterson pay water operators more than other employers in Stanislaus County?

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

Full-year water operators at Patterson earned $12,435 less than the Stanislaus County average and $40,309 less than the California average.

Where does Patterson rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Patterson ranks 275th of 300, below the middle employer.

Patterson
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 8 employers in Stanislaus County

Patterson ranks 7th of 8, below the middle employer.

Patterson
$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 Patterson

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 Patterson's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$7,623
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$25,505
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Patterson

What is the average water operator salary at Patterson?

Water operators at Patterson who worked the full year earned an average of $83,417 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $81,498: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $53,024 to $78,527.

How much overtime do water operators at Patterson earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $11,962 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $10,840: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Patterson get?

The most common pension formula among Patterson's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $7,623 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Stanislaus County

Sources for the Patterson figures

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

How we read the data