Poway water operator salary, 2025

Poway is a city in San Diego County. 11 people worked as water operators for Poway in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $121,592, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Poway?

Official pay range, water treatment operators1

$84,263 to $137,746

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

$121,592

average base pay $106,226

Water operators
11
10 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$84,263
bottom of the Water Treatment Plant Operator II range
Median total pay
$124,714
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
131st
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Poway 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 Treatment Plant Operator II$84,263 to $102,422 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Water Treatment Plant Operator III$95,336 to $115,881 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Water Treatment Plant Lead Operator$113,324 to $137,746 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Wastewater collection operators

  1. Wastewater Utilities Crew Leader$90,742 to $110,298 · 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 Poway pay water operators more than other employers in San Diego County?

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

Full-year water operators at Poway earned $214 less than the San Diego County average and $2,134 less than the California average.

Where does Poway rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Poway ranks 131st of 300, above the middle employer.

Poway
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 20 employers in San Diego County

Poway ranks 10th of 20, above the middle employer.

Poway
$80k$100k$120k$140k

Middle employer: $121,446

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 Poway

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 Poway's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$11,379
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$12,546
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Poway

What is the average water operator salary at Poway?

Water operators at Poway who worked the full year earned an average of $121,592 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $124,714: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $84,263 to $137,746.

How much overtime do water operators at Poway earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $10,567 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $11,762: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Poway get?

The most common pension formula among Poway's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $11,379 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in San Diego County

Sources for the Poway figures

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

How we read the data