The average septic specialist in the United States earns $53,500 a year, and the median, which is the figure that describes a typical worker rather than one dragged around by the top end, is $49,880. That works out at about $25.72 an hour. Where you work moves that a long way: New Jersey averages $69,490 and West Virginia $37,250. Everything below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 release, not from job ads or self-reported surveys.
What a septic specialist actually does for that money
Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners are counted together, so this covers both route pumping and emergency line work. Most work for small independent operators or municipalities, and the trade has very little competition for new entrants because almost nobody chooses it.
What septic specialists 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% | $37,040 | Starting out, or an apprentice rate |
| 25th | $43,530 | Still building speed and a customer base |
| Median | $49,880 | The middle of the trade |
| 75th | $61,060 | Experienced, licensed, in demand |
| Top 10% | $73,490 | Specialists, supervisors and owners |
Septic salary by state
New Jersey pays the most at $69,490 a year, and West Virginia the least at $37,250. 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 Jersey | $69,490 | $64,650 | $33.41 | 220 |
| 2 | Washington | $65,880 | $63,090 | $31.67 | 1,600 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $65,270 | $64,590 | $31.38 | 310 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $63,720 | $60,700 | $30.63 | 280 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $62,010 | $62,190 | $29.81 | 240 |
| 6 | Alaska | $61,530 | $57,720 | $29.58 | 280 |
| 7 | Hawaii | $60,670 | $54,530 | $29.17 | 80 |
| 8 | Nebraska | $58,300 | $66,890 | $28.03 | 300 |
| 9 | California | $57,610 | $55,220 | $27.70 | 3,130 |
| 10 | Illinois | $57,230 | $53,190 | $27.51 | 1,210 |
| 11 | Iowa | $57,200 | $57,980 | $27.50 | 630 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $56,940 | $53,080 | $27.38 | 620 |
| 13 | Colorado | $56,270 | $51,700 | $27.06 | 500 |
| 14 | New York | $56,030 | $55,220 | $26.94 | 1,550 |
| 15 | Maryland | $56,000 | $56,410 | $26.92 | 160 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $55,940 | $57,340 | $26.89 | 1,050 |
| 17 | Oregon | $55,770 | $57,920 | $26.81 | 560 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $55,730 | $52,070 | $26.80 | 1,530 |
| 19 | Utah | $55,390 | $49,770 | $26.63 | 200 |
| 20 | Montana | $55,200 | $56,860 | $26.54 | 290 |
| 21 | Nevada | $54,900 | $60,180 | $26.39 | 220 |
| 22 | Ohio | $53,750 | $50,750 | $25.84 | 1,000 |
| 23 | Missouri | $53,050 | $51,560 | $25.50 | 1,160 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $52,900 | $48,900 | $25.43 | 500 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $52,350 | $46,340 | $25.17 | 70 |
| 26 | Georgia | $52,080 | $51,880 | $25.04 | 590 |
| 27 | Michigan | $51,680 | $50,040 | $24.85 | 1,080 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $50,900 | $47,280 | $24.47 | 1,020 |
| 29 | Indiana | $50,720 | $48,380 | $24.39 | 770 |
| 30 | Arizona | $50,160 | $47,670 | $24.12 | 590 |
| 31 | Virginia | $49,620 | $47,150 | $23.86 | 890 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $49,580 | $47,520 | $23.84 | 90 |
| 33 | Idaho | $48,990 | $46,860 | $23.55 | 230 |
| 34 | Vermont | $48,960 | $46,140 | $23.54 | 140 |
| 35 | Florida | $48,600 | $46,150 | $23.36 | 1,330 |
| 36 | Maine | $48,320 | $48,530 | $23.23 | 160 |
| 37 | Delaware | $47,890 | $48,440 | $23.02 | 30 |
| 38 | Alabama | $47,630 | $47,370 | $22.90 | 400 |
| 39 | Texas | $47,090 | $43,860 | $22.64 | 2,430 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $46,630 | $43,980 | $22.42 | 280 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $46,510 | $46,660 | $22.36 | 640 |
| 42 | Kansas | $45,870 | $46,960 | $22.05 | 150 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $45,040 | $40,040 | $21.65 | 120 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $43,450 | $40,230 | $20.89 | 160 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $43,400 | $40,960 | $20.87 | 670 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $43,070 | $39,480 | $20.71 | 550 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $42,380 | $38,870 | $20.38 | 230 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $40,430 | $38,330 | $19.44 | n/a |
| 49 | West Virginia | $37,250 | $36,200 | $17.91 | 70 |
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 septic specialists the most.
| # | Metro area | Average annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $82,690 | $39.75 |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $74,910 | $36.01 |
| 3 | Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $69,450 | $33.39 |
| 4 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $68,670 | $33.01 |
| 5 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $68,140 | $32.76 |
| 6 | Bellingham, WA | $67,580 | $32.49 |
| 7 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $66,380 | $31.91 |
| 8 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $65,710 | $31.59 |
| 9 | Rockford, IL | $64,610 | $31.06 |
| 10 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $63,940 | $30.74 |
What moves the number
- Septic installers and pumpers are licensed by the state health department in most places, separately from plumbing, and the license is tied to soil and system inspection authority.
- Pumping is a route business with predictable recurring revenue; installation and repair is emergency-driven and pays the premium.
- System design, soil evaluation and advanced treatment installations pay well above straight pumping, and inspection work for real estate transfers is steady year round.
- The bottom ten percent of septic specialists earn under $37,040 and the top ten percent clear $73,490. 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 septic specialists 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 septic specialist wage and an owner income opens up.
Septic salary FAQs
- How much do septic specialists make a year?
- The median septic specialist in the United States earns $49,880 a year and the average is $53,500, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 release. Half the trade earns more than the median and half less.
- How much do septic specialists make an hour?
- The mean hourly wage is $25.72. 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 septic specialists the most?
- New Jersey pays the most at an average of $69,490 a year, followed by Washington at $65,880 and New Hampshire at $65,270. Cost of living accounts for some of that and licensing rules for much of the rest.
- Which cities pay septic specialists the most?
- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC tops the list at an average of $82,690 a year, with San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $74,910. Metro figures move a lot more than state averages, so the city matters more than the state.
- Can septic specialists earn six figures?
- As an employee it is uncommon: the top ten percent earn $73,490. 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 septic specialists?
- 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 septic salary data come from?
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, for "Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners" (SOC 47-4071). 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.
