Santa Cruz County water operator salary, 2025

8 people worked as water operators for Santa Cruz County in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $110,676, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Santa Cruz County?

Official pay range1

$67,683 to $124,342

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest water operator title

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$110,676

average base pay $95,306

Water operators
8
6 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$67,683
bottom of the Treatment Plant Operator I Tr range
Median total pay
$101,349
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
172nd
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Santa Cruz County 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

  1. Treatment Plant Operator I Tr$67,683 to $85,654 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Treatment Plant Operator$78,520 to $99,424 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Senior Treatment Plant Operator$87,402 to $110,531 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. Treatment Plant Operators Supervisor$98,342 to $124,342 · 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 Cruz County pay water operators more than other employers in Santa Cruz County?

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

Full-year water operators at Santa Cruz County earned $6,298 less than the Santa Cruz County average and $13,050 less than the California average.

Where does Santa Cruz County rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Santa Cruz County ranks 172nd of 300, below the middle employer.

Santa Cruz County
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 6 employers in Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz County ranks 4th of 6, below the middle employer.

Santa Cruz County
$100k$120k$140k

Middle employer: $116,792

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 Cruz County

As reported by the county. 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 Cruz County's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$8,852
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$12,759
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Santa Cruz County

What is the average water operator salary at Santa Cruz County?

Water operators at Santa Cruz County who worked the full year earned an average of $110,676 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $101,349: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $67,683 to $124,342.

How much overtime do water operators at Santa Cruz County earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $4,972 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $3,075: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Santa Cruz County get?

The most common pension formula among Santa Cruz County's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the county. The employer paid an average of $8,852 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Santa Cruz County

Sources for the Santa Cruz County figures

Every person who held a water operator position at Santa Cruz County 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 Cruz County.

How we read the data