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Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
4 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for CLARIFYING-PLANT OPERATOR (Text) (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| CLARIFYING-PLANT OPERATOR (Text) | 0060 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| Waste Treatment Operator | 0614 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| Wastewater Systems Operator | 0507 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 3,520 hours |
| Water Treatment Plant Operator | 0619 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators earn, by state
California has the highest state median for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators ($81,770) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($29,220), across the 52 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $81,770 | $39.31 | 11,630 |
| Nevada | $81,440 | $39.15 | Not published |
| Washington | $80,800 | $38.85 | 2,030 |
| Connecticut | $78,820 | $37.90 | 980 |
| New Jersey | $78,760 | $37.87 | 2,500 |
| Minnesota | $74,670 | $35.90 | 2,290 |
| Colorado | $74,200 | $35.68 | 2,620 |
| Oregon | $69,720 | $33.52 | 1,240 |
| Massachusetts | $68,550 | $32.96 | 2,510 |
| Illinois | $67,810 | $32.60 | 3,500 |
| Hawaii | $65,560 | $31.52 | 610 |
| Delaware | $64,940 | $31.22 | 340 |
| New York | $63,990 | $30.76 | 5,300 |
| Vermont | $63,640 | $30.60 | 320 |
| Wisconsin | $63,550 | $30.56 | 2,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,310 | $30.44 | 4,660 |
| Wyoming | $63,260 | $30.41 | 500 |
| New Hampshire | $62,940 | $30.26 | 510 |
| Maine | $61,870 | $29.74 | 710 |
| Maryland | $61,870 | $29.75 | 1,770 |
| Rhode Island | $61,820 | $29.72 | 420 |
| Arizona | $61,340 | $29.49 | 3,950 |
| Utah | $61,290 | $29.47 | 1,900 |
| Nebraska | $61,220 | $29.43 | 740 |
| Iowa | $60,990 | $29.32 | 2,370 |
| North Dakota | $60,470 | $29.07 | 550 |
| Alaska | $60,160 | $28.92 | 750 |
| Virginia | $59,420 | $28.57 | 3,460 |
| Michigan | $59,270 | $28.49 | 3,400 |
| Ohio | $59,170 | $28.45 | 5,870 |
| Florida | $59,030 | $28.38 | 7,440 |
| Montana | $58,040 | $27.90 | 690 |
| Indiana | $53,540 | $25.74 | 3,140 |
| South Dakota | $53,370 | $25.66 | 1,060 |
| Idaho | $52,210 | $25.10 | 1,480 |
| South Carolina | $52,090 | $25.05 | 2,650 |
| Alabama | $51,870 | $24.94 | 2,770 |
| North Carolina | $51,680 | $24.85 | 3,620 |
| Tennessee | $50,670 | $24.36 | 3,140 |
| Missouri | $49,940 | $24.01 | 3,000 |
| Texas | $49,460 | $23.78 | 10,520 |
| Georgia | $48,930 | $23.52 | 3,310 |
| New Mexico | $48,190 | $23.17 | 2,110 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $48,030 | $23.09 | 30 |
| West Virginia | $47,560 | $22.87 | 1,100 |
| Kansas | $46,780 | $22.49 | 1,560 |
| Mississippi | $46,480 | $22.34 | 1,150 |
| Louisiana | $46,210 | $22.22 | 2,450 |
| Oklahoma | $45,890 | $22.06 | 2,280 |
| Kentucky | $45,430 | $21.84 | 2,540 |
| Arkansas | $44,320 | $21.31 | 2,010 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,220 | $14.05 | 1,030 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).