Santa Maria water operator salary, 2025

Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County. 21 people worked as water operators for Santa Maria in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $108,147, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Santa Maria?

Official pay range, water system operators1

$61,928 to $86,876

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest title for water system operators, the largest group

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$108,147

average base pay $85,860

The largest group of Santa Maria's water operators (8 of 21) hold the title Water Operator Il, with an official range of $71,473 to $86,876. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $100,793, $13,917 above the top of the range.

Water operators
21
19 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$61,928
bottom of the Water System Operator I range
Median total pay
$103,838
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
184th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Santa Maria 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 system operators

  1. Water System Operator I$61,928 to $75,274 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Water Operator I$63,475 to $77,154 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Water Operator Il$71,473 to $86,876 · 8 people
    $100,793

Wastewater treatment operators

  1. Wastewater Operator I$63,475 to $77,154 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Wastewater Operator Il$71,473 to $86,876 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Wastewater Operator Ill$78,799 to $95,781 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. Lead Wastewater Operator$84,368 to $102,550 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  5. Wastewater Supervisor$104,570 to $127,106 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Other operator titles

  1. Water Resources Operator$77,758 to $94,515 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Water Resources Lead Operator$85,729 to $104,204 · 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 Maria pay water operators more than other employers in Santa Barbara County?

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

Full-year water operators at Santa Maria earned $12,759 less than the Santa Barbara County average and $15,579 less than the California average.

Where does Santa Maria rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Santa Maria ranks 184th of 300, below the middle employer.

Santa Maria
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 10 employers in Santa Barbara County

Santa Maria ranks 7th of 10, below the middle employer.

Santa Maria
$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 Maria

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 Maria's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$7,964
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$19,024
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Santa Maria

What is the average water operator salary at Santa Maria?

Water operators at Santa Maria who worked the full year earned an average of $108,147 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $103,838: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $61,928 to $86,876.

How much overtime do water operators at Santa Maria earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $10,343 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $5,163: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Santa Maria get?

The most common pension formula among Santa Maria's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $7,964 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Santa Barbara County

Sources for the Santa Maria figures

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

How we read the data