Riverside water operator salary, 2025

Riverside is a city in Riverside County. 55 people worked as water operators for Riverside in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $112,281, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Riverside?

Official pay range, wastewater treatment operators1

$59,040 to $141,276

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

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$112,281

average base pay $93,362

The largest group of Riverside's water operators (8 of 55) hold the title Wastewater Collection System Technician I (T), with an official range of $60,756 to $77,424. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $71,197, within the range.

Water operators
55
42 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$59,040
bottom of the Wastewater Plant Operator I Trainee (T) range
Median total pay
$104,833
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
169th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Riverside 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

Wastewater treatment operators

  1. Wastewater Plant Operator I Trainee (T)$59,040 to $65,100 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Wastewater Plant Operator I (T)$68,364 to $83,100 · 7 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Wastewater Plant Operator II (T)$80,472 to $97,824 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. Wastewater Plant Operator III$82,908 to $100,836 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  5. Wastewater Plant Operator III (T)$91,488 to $111,120 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  6. Senior Wastewater Plant Operator$105,372 to $128,076 · 6 people
    $148,587
  7. Wastewater Plant Supervisor$116,136 to $141,276 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Wastewater collection operators

  1. Wastewater Collection System Technician I (T)$60,756 to $77,424 · 8 people
    $71,197
  2. Wastewater Collection System Technician I$62,616 to $79,740 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Wastewater Collection System Technician II (T)$65,148 to $83,136 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. Wastewater Collection System Technician II$67,128 to $85,668 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  5. Lead Wastewater Collection System Technician (T)$74,412 to $94,872 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  6. Lead Wastewater Collection System Technician$76,632 to $97,728 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  7. Senior Wastewater Collection System Technician$89,940 to $109,320 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Other operator titles

  1. Utilities Water System Operator I$85,896 to $104,412 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Utilities Water System Operator II$94,200 to $120,228 · 8 people
    $151,151
  3. Utilities Senior Water System Operator$109,440 to $133,020 · 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 Riverside pay water operators more than other employers in Riverside County?

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

Full-year water operators at Riverside earned $11,699 less than the Riverside County average and $11,445 less than the California average.

Where does Riverside rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Riverside ranks 169th of 300, below the middle employer.

Riverside
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 14 employers in Riverside County

Riverside ranks 11th of 14, below the middle employer.

Riverside
$80k$100k$120k$140k

Middle employer: $119,944

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 Riverside

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 Riverside's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$12,667
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$12,246
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Riverside

What is the average water operator salary at Riverside?

Water operators at Riverside who worked the full year earned an average of $112,281 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $104,833: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $59,040 to $141,276.

How much overtime do water operators at Riverside earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $15,073 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $8,504: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Riverside get?

The most common pension formula among Riverside's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $12,667 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Riverside County

Sources for the Riverside figures

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

How we read the data