State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Water/Wastewater Engineer Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Water/Wastewater Engineers is $100,840 a year ($48.48/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 5.0% through 2034, with about 23,600 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 17-2051Architecture and EngineeringLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $100,840
- Projected growth
- +5.0%
- Openings a year
- 23,600
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Consulting Engineer, County Engineer, Engineer, Project Development Engineer.
How much do Water/Wastewater Engineers make?
10th percentile$68,240
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$79,930
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$100,840
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$129,680
Upper quartile
90th percentile$163,220
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $100,840 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $48.48/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $108,670 |
| People employed | 367,840 |
Versus all US occupations
At $100,840, Water/Wastewater Engineers earn 98% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $49,860 a year.
Versus architecture and engineering occupations
The median is typical for the Architecture and Engineering group, where the middle occupation pays $102,440.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $163,220 or more while the bottom 10% earn $68,240, a gap of 2.4×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 79% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
California posts the highest raw median ($122,500), but once local prices are taken into account Louisiana leads at $119,469 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Water/Wastewater Engineers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $122,500 | $110,639 | 55,180 |
| Alaska | $114,730 | $112,086 | 1,670 |
| Washington | $110,000 | $102,791 | 12,590 |
| Massachusetts | $106,730 | $100,920 | 9,450 |
| Louisiana | $105,380 | $119,469 | 3,780 |
| Oregon | $105,250 | $101,828 | 4,890 |
| New Jersey | $104,660 | $96,190 | 6,900 |
| Nevada | $104,310 | $104,332 | 3,560 |
| New Mexico | $103,900 | $112,675 | 1,350 |
| District of Columbia | $103,880 | $94,521 | 1,650 |
Is Water/Wastewater Engineer a growing career?
Water/Wastewater Engineers5.0%
All US occupations3.1%
+5.0% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Water/Wastewater Engineers to change 5.0% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 18,500 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 23,600 openings are projected each year, 6.4% of the 368,900 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
With continued investment in U.S. infrastructure, civil engineers will be needed to manage projects that meet society's need for upgrading bridges, roads, water systems, buildings, and other structures. In addition, more waste treatment plants will be needed to help clean the nation’s waterways, and water systems must be maintained to reduce or eliminate loss of potable water.
Public projects may depend on funding from federal, state, and local governments. Employment of civil engineers may fluctuate with the availability of project funds.
How to become a Water/Wastewater Engineer
Civil engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a related field. Although licensure requirements vary by state, civil engineers usually must be licensed if they provide services directly to the public.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as water/wastewater engineers.
- Bachelor's Degree69.6%
- Master's Degree26.1%
- First Professional Degree4.4%
What does a Water/Wastewater Engineer do?
Design or oversee projects involving provision of potable water, disposal of wastewater and sewage, or prevention of flood-related damage. Prepare environmental documentation for water resources, regulatory program compliance, data management and analysis, and field work. Perform hydraulic modeling and pipeline design.
Civil engineers plan, design, and supervise the construction and maintenance of building and infrastructure projects. These projects may include facilities, bridges, roads, tunnels, and water and sewage systems.
Day-to-day tasks
- Provide technical direction or supervision to junior engineers, engineering or computer-aided design (CAD) technicians, or other technical personnel.
- Design sludge treatment plants.
- Conduct feasibility studies for the construction of facilities, such as water supply systems, runoff collection networks, water and wastewater treatment plants, or wastewater collection systems.
- Design domestic or industrial water or wastewater treatment plants, including advanced facilities with sequencing batch reactors (SBR), membranes, lift stations, headworks, surge overflow basins, ultraviolet disinfection systems, aerobic digesters, sludge lagoons, or control buildings.
- Design or select equipment for use in wastewater processing to ensure compliance with government standards.
- Design water or wastewater lift stations, including water wells.
- Provide technical support on water resource or treatment issues to government agencies.
- Analyze and recommend sludge treatment or disposal methods.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where water/wastewater engineers work
| Engineering services | 52% |
|---|---|
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | 11% |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 10% |
| Nonresidential building construction | 7% |
| Federal government, excluding postal service | 3% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0/5
- Writing4.0/5
- Critical Thinking4.0/5
- Active Listening3.9/5
- Mathematics3.9/5
- Speaking3.8/5
- Monitoring3.6/5
- Science3.5/5
Transferable skills
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9/5
- Systems Analysis3.9/5
- Systems Evaluation3.9/5
- Time Management3.8/5
- Operations Analysis3.3/5
- Management of Personnel Resources3.3/5
- Coordination3.1/5
Tools and software
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Geographic information system · in demand
- Internet browser software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Water/Wastewater Engineer?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary5.6
Investigativeprimary5.3
Artistic1.9
Social1.8
Enterprising2.9
Conventionalprimary4.5
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Water/Wastewater Engineer: frequently asked questions
How much do Water/Wastewater Engineers make?
Water/Wastewater Engineers earn a median of $100,840 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 98% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $48.48/hr. The middle half earn between $79,930 and $129,680. The top 10% earn $163,220 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Water/Wastewater Engineer?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Water/Wastewater Engineers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 69.6% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Water/Wastewater Engineer a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.0% over 2024–2034, faster than the 3.1% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 23,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Water/Wastewater Engineer do?
Civil engineers plan, design, and supervise the construction and maintenance of building and infrastructure projects. A core O*NET task: provide technical direction or supervision to junior engineers, engineering or computer-aided design (CAD) technicians, or other technical personnel. Employers most often ask for Computer aided design CAD software, Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Water/Wastewater Engineers the most?
The highest state medians for Water/Wastewater Engineers are California ($122,500), Alaska ($114,730), Washington ($110,000) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Louisiana moves to the top at $119,469.
What personality type suits a Water/Wastewater Engineer?
O*NET scores Water/Wastewater Engineers highest on the Realistic, Investigative and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISTP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.