San Diego water operator salary, 2025

San Diego is a city in San Diego County. 415 people worked as water operators for San Diego in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $121,070, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at San Diego?

Official pay range, water distribution operators1

$50,066 to $154,898

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

$121,070

average base pay $91,579

The largest group of San Diego's water operators (113 of 415) hold the title Water Systems Technician III, with an official range of $68,037 to $81,224. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $97,546, $16,322 above the top of the range.

Water operators
415
322 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$50,066
bottom of the Water Systems Technician I range
Median total pay
$117,720
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
137th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at San Diego 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 Systems Technician I$50,066 to $59,550 · 19 people
    $71,060
  2. Water Systems Technician II$62,005 to $74,214 · 28 people
    $81,650
  3. Water Systems Technician III$68,037 to $81,224 · 113 people
    $97,546
  4. Water Systems Technician IV$78,894 to $94,203 · 64 people
    $119,277
  5. Water Distribution Operator$93,766 to $111,925 · 10 people
    $136,817
  6. Water Distribution Operators Supervisor$104,083 to $124,238 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  7. Water Systems Technician Supervisor$104,083 to $124,238 · 25 people
    $150,222
  8. Senior Water Distribution Operations Supervisor$128,086 to $154,898 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Wastewater treatment operators

  1. Wastewater Plant Operator$96,886 to $115,898 · 37 people
    $132,720
  2. Senior Wastewater Plant Operator$102,066 to $122,054 · 11 people
    $143,856
  3. Wastewater Operations Supervisor$113,589 to $135,762 · 23 people
    $162,440
  4. Senior Wastewater Operations Supervisor$122,970 to $148,762 · 6 people
    fewer than 5
  5. Wastewater Chief Plant Operator$171,787 to $207,813 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Water treatment operators

  1. Water Plant Operator$97,053 to $116,002 · 27 people
    $138,512
  2. Pure Water Plant Operator$100,131 to $121,680 · 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Senior Water Plant Operator$101,878 to $121,805 · 6 people
    $161,510
  4. Senior Pure Water Plant Operator$105,144 to $127,795 · 5 people
    $126,188
  5. Pure Water Plant Operations Supervisor$116,230 to $141,315 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Other operator titles

  1. Plant Operator Trainee$62,171 to $74,214 · 6 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Pump Station Operator$67,954 to $81,141 · 13 people
    $116,254
  3. Water Operations Supervisor$112,736 to $134,680 · 5 people
    $153,626
  4. Senior Pure Water Operations Supervisor$127,816 to $155,438 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  5. Senior Water Operations Supervisor$128,086 to $154,898 · 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 San Diego pay water operators more than other employers in San Diego County?

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

Full-year water operators at San Diego earned $736 less than the San Diego County average and $2,656 less than the California average.

Where does San Diego rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

San Diego ranks 137th of 300, above the middle employer.

San Diego
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 20 employers in San Diego County

San Diego ranks 13th of 20, below the middle employer.

San Diego
$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 San Diego

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

Pension formula
1% at 55
the most common formula among San Diego's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$10,945
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$11,800
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at San Diego

What is the average water operator salary at San Diego?

Water operators at San Diego who worked the full year earned an average of $121,070 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $117,720: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $50,066 to $154,898.

How much overtime do water operators at San Diego earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $21,551 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $18,130: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at San Diego get?

The most common pension formula among San Diego's water operators is 1% at 55, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $10,945 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in San Diego County

Sources for the San Diego figures

Every person who held a water operator position at San Diego 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 San Diego.

How we read the data