Sunnyvale water operator salary, 2025

Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County. 26 people worked as water operators for Sunnyvale in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $138,454, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Sunnyvale?

Official pay range, wastewater treatment operators1

$95,887 to $163,970

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest title for wastewater treatment operators, the largest group

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$138,454

average base pay $117,212

The largest group of Sunnyvale's water operators (13 of 26) hold the title Water Pollution Control Operator 2, with an official range of $98,284 to $125,438. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $116,880, within the range.

Water operators
26
22 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$95,887
bottom of the Water Pollution Control Operator 1 range
Median total pay
$127,084
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
65th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Sunnyvale 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

Wastewater treatment operators

  1. Water Pollution Control Operator 1$95,887 to $122,379 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Water Pollution Control Operator 2$98,284 to $125,438 · 13 people
    $116,880
  3. Senior Water Pollution Control Operator$112,401 to $143,456 · 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. Principal Water Pollution Control Operator$128,475 to $163,970 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Wastewater collection operators

  1. Wastewater Collections Supervisor$105,322 to $134,420 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Water distribution operators

  1. Water Distribution Supervisor$107,951 to $137,775 · 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 Sunnyvale pay water operators more than other employers in Santa Clara County?

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

Full-year water operators at Sunnyvale earned $18,623 less than the Santa Clara County average and $14,728 more than the California average.

Where does Sunnyvale rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Sunnyvale ranks 65th of 300, above the middle employer.

Sunnyvale
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 5 employers in Santa Clara County

Sunnyvale ranks 5th of 5, below the middle employer.

Sunnyvale
$140k$160k$180k$200k

Middle employer: $148,209

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 Sunnyvale

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 Sunnyvale's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$14,218
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$26,042
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Sunnyvale

What is the average water operator salary at Sunnyvale?

Water operators at Sunnyvale who worked the full year earned an average of $138,454 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $127,084: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $95,887 to $163,970.

How much overtime do water operators at Sunnyvale earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $14,240 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $6,562: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Sunnyvale get?

The most common pension formula among Sunnyvale's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $14,218 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Santa Clara County

Sources for the Sunnyvale figures

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

How we read the data