How to read this: BLS does not track junk removal technicians as their own occupation. These figures cover "Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors" (SOC 53-7081), which counts junk removal work alongside related roles, so read them as the band rather than the exact number.
The average junk removal technician in the United States earns $52,820 a year, and the median, which is the figure that describes a typical worker rather than one dragged around by the top end, is $49,690. That works out at about $25.39 an hour. Where you work moves that a long way: Washington averages $71,690 and South Dakota $34,810. Everything below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 release, not from job ads or self-reported surveys.
What a junk removal technician actually does for that money
Junk removal crews are counted as refuse and recyclable material collectors, an occupation dominated by municipal and commercial waste collection with strong union representation. An independent junk hauler is a different business with a different economic model entirely.
What junk removal technicians earn, from bottom to top
An average hides the spread, and the spread is what matters when you are deciding whether to enter the trade or what to pay someone. Here is the full range BLS publishes.
| Percentile | Annual | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $33,590 | Starting out, or an apprentice rate |
| 25th | $39,080 | Still building speed and a customer base |
| Median | $49,690 | The middle of the trade |
| 75th | $62,020 | Experienced, licensed, in demand |
| Top 10% | $75,900 | Specialists, supervisors and owners |
Junk Removal salary by state
Washington pays the most at $71,690 a year, and South Dakota the least at $34,810. Cost of living explains part of that gap and licensing rules explain a good deal of the rest.
| # | State | Average annual | Median annual | Hourly | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $71,690 | $74,620 | $34.46 | 3,750 |
| 2 | Illinois | $68,310 | $75,050 | $32.84 | 4,910 |
| 3 | New York | $67,130 | $64,950 | $32.27 | 11,630 |
| 4 | California | $66,300 | $64,890 | $31.87 | 13,930 |
| 5 | Nevada | $64,120 | $61,310 | $30.83 | 770 |
| 6 | Oregon | $62,930 | $63,210 | $30.25 | 2,500 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $59,790 | $62,570 | $28.75 | 2,500 |
| 8 | Delaware | $58,000 | $61,290 | $27.88 | 600 |
| 9 | Colorado | $57,860 | $60,310 | $27.82 | 3,700 |
| 10 | Utah | $56,420 | $59,310 | $27.13 | 960 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $56,220 | $59,000 | $27.03 | 360 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $55,960 | $55,490 | $26.90 | 540 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $55,090 | $59,810 | $26.49 | 1,550 |
| 14 | Indiana | $54,930 | $58,900 | $26.41 | 3,180 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $54,260 | $54,630 | $26.09 | 4,330 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $54,230 | $50,310 | $26.07 | 1,010 |
| 17 | Vermont | $54,110 | $51,960 | $26.02 | 160 |
| 18 | Hawaii | $53,780 | $56,270 | $25.86 | 770 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $53,190 | $55,970 | $25.57 | 470 |
| 20 | Michigan | $52,280 | $51,030 | $25.14 | 4,020 |
| 21 | Alaska | $51,900 | $45,740 | $24.95 | 250 |
| 22 | Idaho | $51,350 | $49,880 | $24.69 | 730 |
| 23 | Iowa | $51,120 | $49,850 | $24.58 | 1,780 |
| 24 | Missouri | $50,300 | $50,010 | $24.18 | 1,930 |
| 25 | Montana | $50,200 | $49,420 | $24.14 | 370 |
| 26 | Ohio | $49,990 | $49,330 | $24.04 | 4,710 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $49,400 | $48,240 | $23.75 | 6,220 |
| 28 | Florida | $48,960 | $47,820 | $23.54 | 11,650 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $48,610 | $49,390 | $23.37 | 910 |
| 30 | Arizona | $48,500 | $46,910 | $23.32 | 2,380 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | $47,400 | $46,580 | $22.79 | 340 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $47,170 | $48,820 | $22.68 | 280 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $46,940 | $47,660 | $22.57 | 1,070 |
| 34 | Maryland | $46,740 | $41,870 | $22.47 | 3,120 |
| 35 | Georgia | $46,150 | $46,960 | $22.19 | 4,830 |
| 36 | Virginia | $46,100 | $46,530 | $22.16 | 4,330 |
| 37 | Alabama | $45,450 | $46,240 | $21.85 | 2,790 |
| 38 | Connecticut | $45,120 | $38,220 | $21.69 | 810 |
| 39 | Maine | $44,840 | $43,360 | $21.56 | 770 |
| 40 | Texas | $44,700 | $46,330 | $21.49 | 12,860 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $44,320 | $43,270 | $21.31 | 2,550 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $43,520 | $43,060 | $20.92 | 2,030 |
| 43 | Kansas | $42,960 | $45,510 | $20.65 | 910 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $42,710 | $43,100 | $20.54 | 1,580 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $42,590 | $44,670 | $20.47 | 7,250 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $42,300 | $39,170 | $20.34 | 1,970 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $41,900 | $38,810 | $20.14 | 2,200 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $37,250 | $35,640 | $17.91 | 1,600 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $36,820 | $35,840 | $17.70 | 1,000 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $35,690 | $34,880 | $17.16 | 2,020 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $34,810 | $32,950 | $16.74 | 340 |
Where the money is: highest paying metros
State averages flatten out the difference between a city and the rural county next to it. These are the metro areas paying junk removal technicians the most.
| # | Metro area | Average annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $88,030 | $42.32 |
| 2 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $76,420 | $36.74 |
| 3 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $76,010 | $36.54 |
| 4 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $71,570 | $34.41 |
| 5 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $70,560 | $33.92 |
| 6 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $69,970 | $33.64 |
| 7 | Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $69,850 | $33.58 |
| 8 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $69,090 | $33.22 |
| 9 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $68,770 | $33.06 |
| 10 | Napa, CA | $67,510 | $32.46 |
What moves the number
- Waste hauling permits are municipal and vary widely, and some materials require a licensed transporter. That paperwork is what keeps competition thinner than it looks.
- Steady year round with a spring cleanout peak, and demand rises with home sales and estate turnover.
- Estate cleanouts, construction debris and property management contracts pay well above single-item pickups.
- The bottom ten percent of junk removal technicians earn under $33,590 and the top ten percent clear $75,900. That gap is the trade telling you where the money is.
- Working for somebody else and working for yourself are different questions. These figures cover employed junk removal technicians on a payroll, so they exclude the self-employed, and in this trade a large share of the best operators are exactly that.
What you can earn running the business instead
The number above is a wage. Running the business is a different calculation: you take the full ticket rather than an hourly rate, and what you keep depends on how many jobs you fit in a week, how quickly you get paid and how much of your day goes on scheduling, estimates and chasing invoices instead of on the work. That is the part software actually changes. Owners who put scheduling, estimating, invoicing and automated follow-up in one place tend to run more jobs with the same crew, which is where the gap between a junk removal technician wage and an owner income opens up.
Junk Removal salary FAQs
- How much do junk removal technicians make a year?
- The median junk removal technician in the United States earns $49,690 a year and the average is $52,820, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 release. Half the trade earns more than the median and half less.
- How much do junk removal technicians make an hour?
- The mean hourly wage is $25.39. Annual earnings are usually higher than that rate multiplied by a standard year, because overtime, call-outs and premium work are not in the base rate.
- Which state pays junk removal technicians the most?
- Washington pays the most at an average of $71,690 a year, followed by Illinois at $68,310 and New York at $67,130. Cost of living accounts for some of that and licensing rules for much of the rest.
- Which cities pay junk removal technicians the most?
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA tops the list at an average of $88,030 a year, with Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA at $76,420. Metro figures move a lot more than state averages, so the city matters more than the state.
- Can junk removal technicians earn six figures?
- As an employee it is uncommon: the top ten percent earn $75,900. Owners are a different question, because they are paid on the job rather than on the hour, and owner income is not in these figures.
- Do these figures include self-employed junk removal technicians?
- No. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program covers wage and salary workers, so sole proprietors and business owners are excluded. In a trade with as many owner-operators as this one, that matters when you read the number.
- Where does this junk removal salary data come from?
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, for "Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors" (SOC 53-7081). It is a survey of employers rather than of workers, which is why it is more reliable than self-reported salary sites.
All wage figures on this page are from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. BLS suppresses figures in areas with too few employers to publish safely; those appear as n/a rather than an estimate.
