Shafter water operator salary, 2025

Shafter is a city in Kern County. 5 people worked as water operators for Shafter in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $88,221, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Shafter?

Official pay range1

$60,594 to $85,731

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

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$88,221

average base pay $73,439

Water operators
5
5 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$60,594
bottom of the Utility Operator I range
Median total pay
$92,061
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
258th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Shafter 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. Utility Operator I$60,594 to $73,653 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Senior Utility Operator$70,531 to $85,731 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Utility Operator II$70,531 to $85,731 · 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 Shafter pay water operators more than other employers in Kern County?

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

Full-year water operators at Shafter earned $10,946 less than the Kern County average and $35,505 less than the California average.

Where does Shafter rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Shafter ranks 258th of 300, below the middle employer.

Shafter
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 10 employers in Kern County

Shafter ranks 7th of 10, below the middle employer.

Shafter
$80k$100k$120k$140k

Middle employer: $92,144

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 Shafter

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 Shafter's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$7,811
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$25,080
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Shafter

What is the average water operator salary at Shafter?

Water operators at Shafter who worked the full year earned an average of $88,221 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $92,061: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $60,594 to $85,731.

How much overtime do water operators at Shafter earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $4,381 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $3,795: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Shafter get?

The most common pension formula among Shafter's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $7,811 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Kern County

Sources for the Shafter figures

Every person who held a water operator position at Shafter 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 Shafter.

How we read the data