Santa Barbara water operator salary, 2025

Santa Barbara is a city in Santa Barbara County. 73 people worked as water operators for Santa Barbara in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $137,827, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Santa Barbara?

Official pay range, water distribution operators1

$75,178 to $171,374

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

$137,827

average base pay $116,898

The largest group of Santa Barbara's water operators (11 of 73) hold the title 1935 Ww Treatment Plant Operator III, with an official range of $104,947 to $127,563. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $129,479, $1,916 above the top of the range.

Water operators
73
62 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$75,173
bottom of the 1925 Ww Collection System Operator I range
Median total pay
$136,548
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
69th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Santa Barbara 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. 1936 Water Distribution Op Tech OIT$75,178 to $91,379 · 7 people
    fewer than 5
  2. 1948 Water Distribution Op Tech I$91,785 to $111,566 · 7 people
    $112,700
  3. 1904 Control Systems Op Spec I$99,803 to $121,311 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. 1949 Water Distribution Op Tech II$100,960 to $122,718 · 8 people
    $153,412
  5. 1905 Control Systems Op Spec II$110,860 to $134,752 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  6. 1938 Water Distribution Lead Op Tch$111,052 to $134,985 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  7. 1957 Water Distribution Chief Operator$120,636 to $146,634 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  8. 4060 Water Distribution Supervisor$140,990 to $171,374 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Wastewater treatment operators

  1. 1904 Control Systems Op Spec I$99,803 to $121,311 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. 1935 Ww Treatment Plant Operator III$104,947 to $127,563 · 11 people
    $129,479
  3. 1905 Control Systems Op Spec II$110,860 to $134,752 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. 1921 Sr Ww Treatment Plant Operator$114,598 to $139,294 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  5. 1932 Ww Treatment Plant Chief Operator$120,630 to $146,625 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  6. 1917 Sr Control Systems Operator Spec$121,379 to $147,538 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  7. 4055 Ww Treatment Supervisor$140,990 to $171,374 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Water treatment operators

  1. 1946 Water Treatment Plant Operator III$104,942 to $127,558 · 9 people
    $134,716
  2. 8354 Water Treatment Plant Operator III$104,942 to $127,558 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. 1905 Control Systems Op Spec II$110,860 to $134,752 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. 1940 Water Treatment Chief Operator$120,636 to $146,634 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  5. 1917 Sr Control Systems Operator Spec$121,379 to $147,538 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  6. 4058 Water Treatment Supervisor$140,990 to $171,374 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Wastewater collection operators

  1. 1925 Ww Collection System Operator I$75,173 to $91,373 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. 1926 Ww Collection System Operator II$88,228 to $107,242 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. 1919 Sr Ww Collection System Operator$94,573 to $114,955 · 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. 1927 Ww Collection System Lead Operator$108,759 to $132,196 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  5. 4052 Ww Collection System Supervisor$126,299 to $153,518 · 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 Santa Barbara pay water operators more than other employers in Santa Barbara County?

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

Full-year water operators at Santa Barbara earned $16,921 more than the Santa Barbara County average and $14,101 more than the California average.

Where does Santa Barbara rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Santa Barbara ranks 69th of 300, above the middle employer.

Santa Barbara
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 10 employers in Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara ranks 1st of 10, above the middle employer.

Santa Barbara
$100k$120k$140k

Middle employer: $115,039

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 Santa Barbara

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 Santa Barbara's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$13,912
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$17,359
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Santa Barbara

What is the average water operator salary at Santa Barbara?

Water operators at Santa Barbara who worked the full year earned an average of $137,827 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $136,548: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $75,178 to $171,374.

How much overtime do water operators at Santa Barbara earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $8,396 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $4,341: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Santa Barbara get?

The most common pension formula among Santa Barbara's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $13,912 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Santa Barbara County

Sources for the Santa Barbara figures

Every person who held a water operator position at Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara.

How we read the data