How to read this: BLS publishes no occupation for snow removal. The closest comparable work it does track is "Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers" (SOC 37-3011), so treat these figures as a reference point rather than a measurement of this trade.
The average snow removal technician in the United States earns $42,290 a year, and the median, which is the figure that describes a typical worker rather than one dragged around by the top end, is $39,150. That works out at about $20.33 an hour. Where you work moves that a long way: District of Columbia averages $51,200 and Mississippi $33,520. Everything below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 release, not from job ads or self-reported surveys.
What a snow removal technician actually does for that money
Snow removal has no occupation of its own; most crews are counted as landscaping and groundskeeping workers because that is who they work for the rest of the year. Seasonal snow income is real but it is not visible in an annual wage for a year-round occupation.
What snow 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% | $31,150 | Starting out, or an apprentice rate |
| 25th | $36,190 | Still building speed and a customer base |
| Median | $39,150 | The middle of the trade |
| 75th | $46,830 | Experienced, licensed, in demand |
| Top 10% | $56,730 | Specialists, supervisors and owners |
Snow Removal salary by state
District of Columbia pays the most at $51,200 a year, and Mississippi the least at $33,520. 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 | District of Columbia | $51,200 | $48,790 | $24.62 | 800 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $50,540 | $48,670 | $24.30 | 22,880 |
| 3 | Washington | $49,130 | $46,950 | $23.62 | 22,550 |
| 4 | California | $47,420 | $45,560 | $22.80 | 106,180 |
| 5 | Vermont | $47,340 | $46,230 | $22.76 | 2,700 |
| 6 | Alaska | $47,280 | $47,690 | $22.73 | 1,080 |
| 7 | Colorado | $46,840 | $45,760 | $22.52 | 21,990 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $46,200 | $46,610 | $22.21 | 17,610 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $46,060 | $45,740 | $22.15 | 13,490 |
| 10 | Oregon | $45,840 | $45,040 | $22.04 | 11,870 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $45,710 | $44,890 | $21.98 | 6,050 |
| 12 | New York | $45,620 | $44,840 | $21.93 | 47,600 |
| 13 | Montana | $45,550 | $45,350 | $21.90 | 4,270 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $45,390 | $44,730 | $21.82 | 4,040 |
| 15 | Maine | $45,140 | $45,970 | $21.70 | 6,410 |
| 16 | Hawaii | $44,940 | $45,920 | $21.60 | 7,040 |
| 17 | Illinois | $44,800 | $43,790 | $21.54 | 34,780 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $43,750 | $40,790 | $21.04 | 2,100 |
| 19 | Nevada | $43,520 | $38,820 | $20.92 | 9,980 |
| 20 | Maryland | $43,400 | $39,380 | $20.86 | 17,440 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $43,310 | $41,360 | $20.82 | 30,470 |
| 22 | Idaho | $42,810 | $41,600 | $20.58 | 7,980 |
| 23 | Utah | $42,800 | $40,740 | $20.58 | 12,850 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $42,740 | $41,230 | $20.55 | 18,970 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $42,340 | $39,140 | $20.36 | 7,280 |
| 26 | Arizona | $41,560 | $38,910 | $19.98 | 22,450 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $41,490 | $39,500 | $19.95 | 34,850 |
| 28 | Iowa | $41,260 | $38,920 | $19.84 | 8,800 |
| 29 | Virginia | $40,770 | $38,410 | $19.60 | 25,180 |
| 30 | Missouri | $40,690 | $38,520 | $19.56 | 18,310 |
| 31 | Michigan | $40,550 | $38,120 | $19.49 | 32,330 |
| 32 | Kansas | $40,530 | $39,330 | $19.49 | 9,480 |
| 33 | Indiana | $40,020 | $38,070 | $19.24 | 19,260 |
| 34 | Ohio | $39,890 | $38,220 | $19.18 | 34,420 |
| 35 | Delaware | $39,680 | $37,350 | $19.08 | 4,130 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $39,660 | $37,560 | $19.07 | 5,030 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $39,600 | $37,910 | $19.04 | 32,730 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $39,140 | $38,310 | $18.82 | 1,790 |
| 39 | Florida | $39,110 | $37,100 | $18.80 | 86,040 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $38,600 | $37,020 | $18.56 | 18,250 |
| 41 | Georgia | $38,500 | $37,970 | $18.51 | 25,510 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $38,140 | $36,670 | $18.34 | 8,920 |
| 43 | Texas | $37,990 | $36,740 | $18.27 | 63,430 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $37,520 | $36,710 | $18.04 | 15,600 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $36,600 | $35,370 | $17.60 | 2,980 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $36,250 | $35,770 | $17.43 | 9,280 |
| 47 | Alabama | $36,100 | $35,630 | $17.36 | 12,020 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $36,070 | $35,770 | $17.34 | 6,610 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $34,150 | $34,870 | $16.42 | 8,510 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $33,870 | $32,240 | $16.29 | 3,340 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $33,520 | $31,630 | $16.12 | 4,940 |
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 snow removal technicians the most.
| # | Metro area | Average annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $54,470 | $26.19 |
| 2 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $53,720 | $25.83 |
| 3 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $51,910 | $24.96 |
| 4 | Napa, CA | $51,370 | $24.70 |
| 5 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $51,250 | $24.64 |
| 6 | Barnstable Town, MA | $50,970 | $24.51 |
| 7 | Fairbanks-College, AK | $50,960 | $24.50 |
| 8 | Bozeman, MT | $50,620 | $24.34 |
| 9 | Boulder, CO | $50,580 | $24.32 |
| 10 | Worcester, MA | $49,600 | $23.85 |
What moves the number
- Unlicensed, though commercial contracts require heavy insurance because slip-and-fall liability is the real risk in the work.
- The most weather-dependent income in home services. Seasonal contracts pay whether it snows or not; per-push pricing does not, and the choice between them is the whole business.
- Commercial lot contracts, ice management and municipal work pay well above residential driveways and are far more predictable.
- The bottom ten percent of snow removal technicians earn under $31,150 and the top ten percent clear $56,730. 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 snow 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 snow removal technician wage and an owner income opens up.
Snow Removal salary FAQs
- How much do snow removal technicians make a year?
- The median snow removal technician in the United States earns $39,150 a year and the average is $42,290, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 release. Half the trade earns more than the median and half less.
- How much do snow removal technicians make an hour?
- The mean hourly wage is $20.33. 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 snow removal technicians the most?
- District of Columbia pays the most at an average of $51,200 a year, followed by Massachusetts at $50,540 and Washington at $49,130. Cost of living accounts for some of that and licensing rules for much of the rest.
- Which cities pay snow removal technicians the most?
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA tops the list at an average of $54,470 a year, with San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $53,720. Metro figures move a lot more than state averages, so the city matters more than the state.
- Can snow removal technicians earn six figures?
- As an employee it is uncommon: the top ten percent earn $56,730. 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 snow 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 snow removal salary data come from?
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, for "Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers" (SOC 37-3011). 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.
