How to read this: BLS publishes no occupation for restoration. The closest comparable work it does track is "Hazardous Materials Removal Workers" (SOC 47-4041), so treat these figures as a reference point rather than a measurement of this trade.
The average restoration technician in the United States earns $56,430 a year, and the median, which is the figure that describes a typical worker rather than one dragged around by the top end, is $49,450. That works out at about $27.13 an hour. Where you work moves that a long way: New York averages $71,910 and Louisiana $40,830. Everything below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 release, not from job ads or self-reported surveys.
What a restoration technician actually does for that money
Restoration technicians have no counted occupation; hazardous materials removal workers is the closest, and it covers abatement crews rather than water damage techs. The real distinguishing feature of restoration pay is on-call rotation, which is not captured in an hourly wage at all.
What restoration 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% | $38,460 | Starting out, or an apprentice rate |
| 25th | $44,720 | Still building speed and a customer base |
| Median | $49,450 | The middle of the trade |
| 75th | $61,530 | Experienced, licensed, in demand |
| Top 10% | $82,410 | Specialists, supervisors and owners |
Restoration salary by state
New York pays the most at $71,910 a year, and Louisiana the least at $40,830. 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 | New York | $71,910 | $73,090 | $34.57 | 4,090 |
| 2 | Washington | $67,890 | $60,160 | $32.64 | 3,250 |
| 3 | Alaska | $67,850 | $60,320 | $32.62 | 140 |
| 4 | Idaho | $67,320 | $49,710 | $32.36 | 600 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $66,500 | $55,310 | $31.97 | 140 |
| 6 | Illinois | $65,490 | $61,330 | $31.49 | 1,980 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $64,790 | $55,900 | $31.15 | 2,250 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $64,410 | $59,100 | $30.97 | 730 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $64,090 | $60,240 | $30.81 | 50 |
| 10 | Tennessee | $63,480 | $60,090 | $30.52 | 570 |
| 11 | California | $60,750 | $56,120 | $29.21 | 7,340 |
| 12 | South Carolina | $59,420 | $49,170 | $28.57 | 870 |
| 13 | Hawaii | $59,120 | $58,440 | $28.42 | 340 |
| 14 | Colorado | $58,230 | $59,920 | $28.00 | 1,400 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $55,550 | $53,440 | $26.71 | 680 |
| 16 | Maine | $55,330 | $47,280 | $26.60 | 190 |
| 17 | Missouri | $54,990 | $59,120 | $26.44 | 370 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $54,970 | $60,160 | $26.43 | 170 |
| 19 | Montana | $54,660 | $54,540 | $26.28 | 250 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $53,410 | $47,750 | $25.68 | 590 |
| 21 | Utah | $53,340 | $49,240 | $25.64 | 530 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $53,300 | $46,670 | $25.63 | 330 |
| 23 | Oregon | $53,230 | $49,720 | $25.59 | 1,130 |
| 24 | Maryland | $53,210 | $48,640 | $25.58 | 660 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | $53,140 | $47,860 | $25.55 | 1,590 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | $52,820 | $49,620 | $25.40 | 2,770 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $52,210 | $51,420 | $25.10 | 190 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $51,980 | $47,640 | $24.99 | 460 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $51,590 | $48,570 | $24.80 | 30 |
| 30 | Connecticut | $50,740 | $47,090 | $24.40 | 750 |
| 31 | Iowa | $50,630 | $49,870 | $24.34 | 270 |
| 32 | Ohio | $50,610 | $46,620 | $24.33 | 830 |
| 33 | Georgia | $50,130 | $48,960 | $24.10 | 460 |
| 34 | Indiana | $50,130 | $46,680 | $24.10 | 990 |
| 35 | Nevada | $50,120 | $47,520 | $24.10 | 400 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $50,030 | $46,390 | $24.05 | 130 |
| 37 | Vermont | $49,460 | $46,780 | $23.78 | 70 |
| 38 | Michigan | $49,390 | $46,380 | $23.75 | 1,610 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $49,290 | $48,540 | $23.70 | 210 |
| 40 | Arizona | $49,090 | $50,530 | $23.60 | 800 |
| 41 | Texas | $47,590 | $44,390 | $22.88 | 4,450 |
| 42 | Virginia | $47,150 | $45,320 | $22.67 | 930 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $47,100 | $36,630 | $22.64 | 440 |
| 44 | Kansas | $45,710 | $45,530 | $21.98 | 480 |
| 45 | Florida | $45,130 | $42,350 | $21.70 | 1,780 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $45,090 | $43,180 | $21.68 | 1,250 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $44,130 | $44,300 | $21.22 | 650 |
| 48 | Alabama | $43,820 | $38,610 | $21.07 | 350 |
| 49 | Delaware | $43,720 | $44,250 | $21.02 | n/a |
| 50 | Mississippi | $41,280 | $39,440 | $19.85 | 250 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $40,830 | $38,000 | $19.63 | 880 |
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 restoration technicians the most.
| # | Metro area | Average annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $88,030 | $42.32 |
| 2 | Amarillo, TX | $78,080 | $37.54 |
| 3 | Knoxville, TN | $76,130 | $36.60 |
| 4 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $73,680 | $35.42 |
| 5 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $73,470 | $35.32 |
| 6 | Utica-Rome, NY | $73,350 | $35.27 |
| 7 | Binghamton, NY | $70,370 | $33.83 |
| 8 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $68,410 | $32.89 |
| 9 | Pueblo, CO | $66,180 | $31.82 |
| 10 | Anchorage, AK | $65,650 | $31.56 |
What moves the number
- IICRC certification is the industry standard and insurers effectively require it. Mold and asbestos work carries separate state licensing on top.
- Emergency-driven and unpredictable: a single storm or freeze event can be a quarter of the year. On-call rotations are where the overtime lives.
- Large-loss commercial, mold remediation and contents restoration pay well above residential water extraction.
- The bottom ten percent of restoration technicians earn under $38,460 and the top ten percent clear $82,410. 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 restoration 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 restoration technician wage and an owner income opens up.
Restoration salary FAQs
- How much do restoration technicians make a year?
- The median restoration technician in the United States earns $49,450 a year and the average is $56,430, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 release. Half the trade earns more than the median and half less.
- How much do restoration technicians make an hour?
- The mean hourly wage is $27.13. 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 restoration technicians the most?
- New York pays the most at an average of $71,910 a year, followed by Washington at $67,890 and Alaska at $67,850. Cost of living accounts for some of that and licensing rules for much of the rest.
- Which cities pay restoration technicians the most?
- Kennewick-Richland, WA tops the list at an average of $88,030 a year, with Amarillo, TX at $78,080. Metro figures move a lot more than state averages, so the city matters more than the state.
- Can restoration technicians earn six figures?
- As an employee it is uncommon: the top ten percent earn $82,410. 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 restoration 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 restoration salary data come from?
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, for "Hazardous Materials Removal Workers" (SOC 47-4041). 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.
