Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019
43-5041 Meter Readers, Utilities
Read meter and record consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam.
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 30,450 |
3.8 % |
$22.23 |
$46,250 |
1.1 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$12.41 |
$15.25 |
$20.33 |
$27.77 |
$34.82 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$25,810 |
$31,720 |
$42,280 |
$57,760 |
$72,420 |
Industry profile for this occupation: Top
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
11,950 |
0.22 |
$20.79 |
$43,250 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution |
6,850 |
1.78 |
$26.42 |
$54,960 |
| Other Support Services |
5,290 |
1.61 |
$18.03 |
$37,500 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
2,890 |
2.64 |
$27.89 |
$58,020 |
| Water, Sewage and Other Systems |
2,020 |
3.79 |
$20.48 |
$42,610 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Water, Sewage and Other Systems |
2,020 |
3.79 |
$20.48 |
$42,610 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
2,890 |
2.64 |
$27.89 |
$58,020 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution |
6,850 |
1.78 |
$26.42 |
$54,960 |
| Other Support Services |
5,290 |
1.61 |
$18.03 |
$37,500 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
80 |
0.25 |
$23.88 |
$49,670 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
Geographic profile for this occupation: Top
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Texas |
2,490 |
0.20 |
0.97 |
$16.88 |
$35,110 |
| Ohio |
2,070 |
0.38 |
1.83 |
$20.94 |
$43,550 |
| California |
1,600 |
0.09 |
0.44 |
$29.80 |
$61,980 |
| Florida |
1,580 |
0.18 |
0.87 |
$19.59 |
$40,750 |
| Georgia |
1,520 |
0.34 |
1.64 |
$19.28 |
$40,090 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| West Virginia |
630 |
0.89 |
4.31 |
$18.70 |
$38,900 |
| Louisiana |
1,140 |
0.60 |
2.87 |
$14.18 |
$29,480 |
| Kentucky |
950 |
0.50 |
2.42 |
$18.51 |
$38,500 |
| Missouri |
1,230 |
0.44 |
2.11 |
$18.64 |
$38,760 |
| Indiana |
1,310 |
0.43 |
2.05 |
$22.55 |
$46,910 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Massachusetts |
560 |
0.16 |
0.75 |
$31.66 |
$65,850 |
| Idaho |
110 |
0.15 |
0.73 |
$31.27 |
$65,050 |
| Alaska |
50 |
0.15 |
0.74 |
$30.98 |
$64,440 |
| Connecticut |
120 |
0.07 |
0.35 |
$30.11 |
$62,630 |
| California |
1,600 |
0.09 |
0.44 |
$29.80 |
$61,980 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
1,670 |
0.17 |
0.83 |
(8) |
(8) |
| St. Louis, MO-IL |
860 |
0.63 |
3.02 |
$19.87 |
$41,340 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
780 |
0.17 |
0.81 |
$28.65 |
$59,600 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
660 |
0.18 |
0.87 |
$16.38 |
$34,080 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
620 |
0.29 |
1.41 |
$25.23 |
$52,470 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
540 |
0.18 |
0.86 |
$16.40 |
$34,110 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
520 |
0.08 |
0.40 |
$30.08 |
$62,560 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
490 |
0.18 |
0.85 |
$21.95 |
$45,660 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
470 |
0.16 |
0.78 |
$27.88 |
$57,990 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
420 |
0.15 |
0.72 |
$32.68 |
$67,980 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV |
40 |
0.99 |
4.80 |
$15.63 |
$32,510 |
| Morgantown, WV |
60 |
0.94 |
4.52 |
$17.80 |
$37,020 |
| Charleston, WV |
100 |
0.89 |
4.30 |
$21.13 |
$43,960 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH |
30 |
0.87 |
4.20 |
$18.30 |
$38,070 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX |
130 |
0.83 |
4.01 |
$17.31 |
$36,000 |
| Morristown, TN |
30 |
0.67 |
3.23 |
$24.36 |
$50,660 |
| Dover, DE |
40 |
0.65 |
3.15 |
$24.33 |
$50,610 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL |
860 |
0.63 |
3.02 |
$19.87 |
$41,340 |
| Niles-Benton Harbor, MI |
40 |
0.58 |
2.79 |
$21.15 |
$43,990 |
| Alexandria, LA |
30 |
0.58 |
2.79 |
$13.33 |
$27,730 |
United States Department of Labor
