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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

53-7081 Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

Collect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck. May drive truck.

National estimates for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Industry profile for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Geographic profile for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

National estimates for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
132,240 1.3 % $ 21.91 $ 45,560 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 13.55 $ 16.37 $ 20.94 $ 25.87 $ 30.96
Annual Wage (2) $ 28,190 $ 34,040 $ 43,540 $ 53,800 $ 64,390

Industry profile for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Waste Collection 66,410 32.93 $ 21.83 $ 45,410
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 37,840 0.70 $ 22.10 $ 45,960
Waste Treatment and Disposal 16,970 17.54 $ 24.11 $ 50,150
Employment Services 3,920 0.10 $ 14.39 $ 29,920
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services 3,310 1.94 $ 21.19 $ 44,070

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Waste Collection 66,410 32.93 $ 21.83 $ 45,410
Waste Treatment and Disposal 16,970 17.54 $ 24.11 $ 50,150
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services 3,310 1.94 $ 21.19 $ 44,070
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 37,840 0.70 $ 22.10 $ 45,960
Vocational Rehabilitation Services 780 0.29 $ 17.42 $ 36,240

Top paying industries for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Postal Service (federal government) 160 0.03 $ 27.91 $ 58,040
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills 50 0.06 $ 27.53 $ 57,270
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 450 0.02 $ 26.44 $ 55,000
Waste Treatment and Disposal 16,970 17.54 $ 24.11 $ 50,150
Truck Transportation (8) (8) $ 23.62 $ 49,130

Geographic profile for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of refuse and recyclable material collectors by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 12,380 0.70 0.79 $ 27.75 $ 57,720
Texas 11,830 0.91 1.02 $ 19.30 $ 40,140
Florida 10,430 1.13 1.27 $ 20.08 $ 41,760
New York 7,840 0.86 0.96 $ 30.92 $ 64,320
North Carolina 6,280 1.35 1.51 $ 17.75 $ 36,910


Map of location quotient of refuse and recyclable material collectors by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Maine 940 1.53 1.71 $ 17.64 $ 36,700
Mississippi 1,710 1.51 1.69 $ 17.51 $ 36,430
Alaska 460 1.50 1.68 $ 23.93 $ 49,780
Delaware 670 1.46 1.63 $ 19.19 $ 39,920
North Carolina 6,280 1.35 1.51 $ 17.75 $ 36,910


Map of annual mean wages of refuse and recyclable material collectors by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 7,840 0.86 0.96 $ 30.92 $ 64,320
Washington 3,670 1.08 1.21 $ 28.79 $ 59,870
Illinois 5,160 0.88 0.98 $ 27.98 $ 58,210
California 12,380 0.70 0.79 $ 27.75 $ 57,720
Oregon 1,890 1.00 1.12 $ 26.97 $ 56,100



Map of employment of refuse and recyclable material collectors by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors:

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 9,850 1.07 1.20 $ 30.14 $ 62,680
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 3,530 0.80 0.89 $ 29.42 $ 61,200
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 3,480 0.92 1.02 $ 19.49 $ 40,540
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 3,470 0.57 0.64 $ 26.20 $ 54,500
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 3,000 1.14 1.28 $ 21.57 $ 44,860
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 2,400 0.78 0.88 $ 20.19 $ 41,990
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 2,360 1.27 1.42 $ 23.51 $ 48,890
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 2,090 1.02 1.15 $ 30.21 $ 62,840
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 1,960 1.55 1.73 $ 19.96 $ 41,510
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 1,960 0.72 0.80 $ 22.93 $ 47,690