Santa Rosa water operator salary, 2025

Santa Rosa is a city in Sonoma County. 109 people worked as water operators for Santa Rosa in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $97,120, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Santa Rosa?

Official pay range, water system operators1

$61,714 to $146,520

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

$97,120

average base pay $86,482

The largest group of Santa Rosa's water operators (39 of 109) hold the title Utilities Systems Operator I, with an official range of $61,714 to $81,869. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $66,798, within the range.

Water operators
109
63 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$61,641
bottom of the Wastewater Operator Trainee range
Median total pay
$93,626
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
230th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Santa Rosa 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. Utilities Systems Operator I$61,714 to $81,869 · 39 people
    $66,798
  2. Utilities Systems Operator II$70,179 to $93,018 · 15 people
    $86,874
  3. Sr Utility Systems Operator$78,915 to $102,294 · 19 people
    $98,669
  4. Water Reuse Operations Supervisor$98,205 to $146,520 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Wastewater treatment operators

  1. Wastewater Operator Trainee$61,641 to $89,734 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Wastewater Operator I$82,753 to $109,601 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Wastewater Operator II$87,108 to $120,569 · 20 people
    $126,053
  4. Sr Wastewater Plant Operator$97,976 to $132,739 · 8 people
    $152,260

official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.

Does Santa Rosa pay water operators more than other employers in Sonoma County?

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

Full-year water operators at Santa Rosa earned $18,150 less than the Sonoma County average and $26,606 less than the California average.

Where does Santa Rosa rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Santa Rosa ranks 230th of 300, below the middle employer.

Santa Rosa
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 7 employers in Sonoma County

Santa Rosa ranks 7th of 7, below the middle employer.

Santa Rosa
$100k$120k$140k$160k

Middle employer: $114,481

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 Rosa

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 Rosa's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$9,140
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$16,537
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Santa Rosa

What is the average water operator salary at Santa Rosa?

Water operators at Santa Rosa who worked the full year earned an average of $97,120 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $93,626: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $61,714 to $146,520.

How much overtime do water operators at Santa Rosa earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $6,054 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $1,377: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Santa Rosa get?

The most common pension formula among Santa Rosa's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $9,140 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Sonoma County

Sources for the Santa Rosa figures

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

How we read the data