Tustin water operator salary, 2025

Tustin is a city in Orange County. 12 people worked as water operators for Tustin in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $103,409, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Tustin?

Official pay range, water distribution operators1

$54,808 to $82,368

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

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$103,409

average base pay $79,450

Water operators
12
9 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$54,808
bottom of the Water Distribution Oper I range
Median total pay
$99,585
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
205th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Tustin 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 distribution operators

  1. Water Distribution Oper I$54,808 to $73,788 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Water Distribution Oper II$61,183 to $82,368 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Water treatment operators

  1. Water Treatment Operator I$69,482 to $93,569 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Water Treatment Operator II$74,724 to $100,589 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Water Treatment Supervisor$105,997 to $142,636 · 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 Tustin pay water operators more than other employers in Orange County?

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

Full-year water operators at Tustin earned $25,252 less than the Orange County average and $20,317 less than the California average.

Where does Tustin rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Tustin ranks 205th of 300, below the middle employer.

Tustin
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 19 employers in Orange County

Tustin ranks 17th of 19, below the middle employer.

Tustin
$80k$100k$120k$140k$160k

Middle employer: $131,027

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 Tustin

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 Tustin's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$8,081
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$14,654
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Tustin

What is the average water operator salary at Tustin?

Water operators at Tustin who worked the full year earned an average of $103,409 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $99,585: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $54,808 to $82,368.

How much overtime do water operators at Tustin earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $13,634 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $9,476: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Tustin get?

The most common pension formula among Tustin's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $8,081 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Orange County

Sources for the Tustin figures

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

How we read the data