Tehachapi water operator salary, 2025

Tehachapi is a city in Kern County. 7 people worked as water operators for Tehachapi in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $94,315, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Tehachapi?

Official pay range, wastewater treatment operators1

$54,516 to $103,224

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

$94,315

average base pay $81,046

Water operators
7
7 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$54,516
bottom of the Wastewater Operator I range
Median total pay
$91,356
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
239th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Tehachapi 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. Wastewater Operator I$54,516 to $85,428 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Wastewater Operator II$56,268 to $88,188 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Chief Wastewater Operator$65,820 to $103,224 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Water system operators

  1. Water Systems Operator II$56,268 to $88,188 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Senior Water Systems Operator$62,688 to $98,268 · 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 Tehachapi pay water operators more than other employers in Kern County?

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

Full-year water operators at Tehachapi earned $4,852 less than the Kern County average and $29,411 less than the California average.

Where does Tehachapi rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Tehachapi ranks 239th of 300, below the middle employer.

Tehachapi
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 10 employers in Kern County

Tehachapi ranks 5th of 10, above the middle employer.

Tehachapi
$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 Tehachapi

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 Tehachapi's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$7,790
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$17,895
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Tehachapi

What is the average water operator salary at Tehachapi?

Water operators at Tehachapi who worked the full year earned an average of $94,315 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $91,356: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $54,516 to $103,224.

How much overtime do water operators at Tehachapi earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $7,452 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $9,396: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Tehachapi get?

The most common pension formula among Tehachapi's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $7,790 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Kern County

Sources for the Tehachapi figures

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

How we read the data