Pay by state · 53 areas
Water/Wastewater Engineer Salary by State (2026)
Water/Wastewater Engineers earn the most in California at $122,500 a year and the least in Georgia at $84,240 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $100,840. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $122,500California
- National median
- $100,840BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $84,240Georgia
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for water/wastewater engineers
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Louisiana comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1California$122,500
- 2Alaska$114,730
- 3Washington$110,000
- 4Massachusetts$106,730
- 5Louisiana$105,380
Lowest median pay
- 1Georgia$84,240
- 2Arkansas$85,020
- 3West Virginia$86,930
- 4Arizona$89,660
- 5Wyoming$90,590
All states
Water/Wastewater Engineer salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of water/wastewater engineers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $122,500 | $96,590 | $149,350 | 55,180 | $110,639 |
| 2 | AKAlaska | $114,730 | $94,960 | $134,280 | 1,670 | $112,086 |
| 3 | WAWashington | $110,000 | $96,230 | $133,050 | 12,590 | $102,791 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $106,730 | $84,570 | $134,810 | 9,450 | $100,920 |
| 5 | LALouisiana | $105,380 | $78,770 | $127,940 | 3,780 | $119,469 |
| 6 | OROregon | $105,250 | $82,580 | $135,870 | 4,890 | $101,828 |
| 7 | NJNew Jersey | $104,660 | $82,270 | $134,270 | 6,900 | $96,190 |
| 8 | NVNevada | $104,310 | $83,530 | $148,150 | 3,560 | $104,332 |
| 9 | NMNew Mexico | $103,900 | $79,570 | $129,310 | 1,350 | $112,675 |
| 10 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $103,880 | $82,120 | $130,720 | 1,650 | $94,521 |
| 11 | NYNew York | $103,760 | $84,740 | $135,920 | 17,500 | $96,144 |
| 12 | CTConnecticut | $103,150 | $83,390 | $130,150 | 4,370 | $99,556 |
| 13 | NENebraska | $103,150 | $80,410 | $125,930 | 2,360 | $114,480 |
| 14 | SCSouth Carolina | $101,600 | $80,360 | $131,550 | 7,180 | $108,374 |
| 15 | MNMinnesota | $101,480 | $80,500 | $129,670 | 4,710 | $102,899 |
| 16 | COColorado | $101,420 | $82,830 | $132,200 | 13,290 | $98,416 |
| 17 | KYKentucky | $100,930 | $78,960 | $122,930 | 2,690 | $111,947 |
| 18 | NCNorth Carolina | $100,730 | $79,140 | $125,730 | 12,810 | $106,789 |
| 19 | MDMaryland | $100,680 | $81,640 | $126,620 | 5,240 | $95,923 |
| 20 | DEDelaware | $100,220 | $81,470 | $126,810 | 920 | $100,413 |
| 21 | MSMississippi | $100,170 | $75,730 | $124,240 | 1,770 | $115,200 |
| 22 | ILIllinois | $99,760 | $79,650 | $125,990 | 13,910 | $99,802 |
| 23 | RIRhode Island | $99,300 | $79,040 | $150,160 | 1,270 | $97,086 |
| 24 | ALAlabama | $99,010 | $77,750 | $128,900 | 5,370 | $111,469 |
| 25 | OKOklahoma | $98,760 | $79,170 | $127,590 | 2,180 | $112,428 |
| 26 | NHNew Hampshire | $98,710 | $76,960 | $118,980 | 1,620 | $94,763 |
| 27 | SDSouth Dakota | $98,700 | $80,560 | $115,180 | 1,440 | $111,417 |
| 28 | FLFlorida | $98,570 | $76,740 | $128,450 | 23,750 | $95,316 |
| 29 | INIndiana | $98,270 | $77,510 | $121,550 | 4,030 | $105,294 |
| 30 | NDNorth Dakota | $98,190 | $76,950 | $117,060 | 1,380 | $110,377 |
| 31 | IDIdaho | $98,030 | $78,990 | $113,160 | 2,630 | $102,656 |
| 32 | PAPennsylvania | $97,850 | $77,920 | $122,320 | 15,870 | $100,285 |
| 33 | MEMaine | $97,820 | $80,410 | $113,330 | 1,240 | $100,793 |
| 34 | VAVirginia | $97,120 | $79,150 | $126,780 | 11,350 | $96,060 |
| 35 | KSKansas | $96,880 | $77,170 | $125,990 | 2,880 | $107,563 |
| 36 | TXTexas | $96,860 | $77,200 | $127,340 | 34,870 | $99,797 |
| 37 | UTUtah | $96,830 | $78,510 | $123,240 | 5,670 | $97,943 |
| 38 | IAIowa | $96,430 | $76,760 | $120,230 | 2,500 | $109,877 |
| 39 | OHOhio | $96,220 | $77,820 | $124,930 | 10,560 | $103,714 |
| 40 | TNTennessee | $95,910 | $76,900 | $123,160 | 5,790 | $104,398 |
| 41 | VTVermont | $95,600 | $78,870 | $104,770 | 770 | $97,593 |
| 42 | WIWisconsin | $94,600 | $75,920 | $111,400 | 7,410 | $100,537 |
| 43 | HIHawaii | $94,280 | $77,720 | $113,550 | 2,640 | $85,747 |
| 44 | MTMontana | $93,070 | $76,770 | $105,980 | 1,870 | $98,336 |
| 45 | MOMissouri | $92,750 | $77,410 | $114,990 | 5,760 | $102,128 |
| 46 | MIMichigan | $92,100 | $75,470 | $109,870 | 7,760 | $95,721 |
| 47 | WYWyoming | $90,590 | $77,610 | $106,220 | 990 | $97,733 |
| 48 | AZArizona | $89,660 | $76,340 | $109,930 | 5,940 | $89,057 |
| 49 | WVWest Virginia | $86,930 | $62,070 | $112,400 | 1,300 | $97,132 |
| 50 | ARArkansas | $85,020 | $64,500 | $105,090 | 1,870 | $97,795 |
| 51 | GAGeorgia | $84,240 | $75,090 | $114,380 | 9,400 | $87,483 |
| 52 | GUGuam | $67,410 | $56,500 | $79,510 | 640 | N/A |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $61,060 | $47,470 | $76,950 | 1,750 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For water/wastewater engineers, that changes the ranking: California leads on raw pay at $122,500, while Louisiana leads once prices are taken into account at $119,469.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Water/Wastewater Engineer pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays water/wastewater engineers the most?
California reports the highest median wage for water/wastewater engineers at $122,500 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alaska ($114,730) and Washington ($110,000).
Which state pays water/wastewater engineers the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Georgia reports the lowest median for water/wastewater engineers at $84,240 a year, $38,260 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Guam reports $67,410 and Puerto Rico reports $61,060.
In which states do water/wastewater engineers earn over $100,000?
21 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is California; the lowest of them is Mississippi at $100,170. The rest report less, down to $84,240 in Georgia.
Is the highest-paying state the best for water/wastewater engineers after cost of living?
Not on this data. California pays the most on paper ($122,500) but ranks 10th of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($110,639). Louisiana leads after that adjustment at $119,469, from a raw median of $105,380. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.