Septic Installer & Service Technician Salary: United States
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The median annual wage for Septic Installer & Service Technician in the United States was $49,880 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $43,530 and $61,060.
Closest proxy Our title "Septic Installer & Service Technician" is reported by BLS as SOC 47-4071 Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners. Closest proxy: Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners. This published occupation covers only part of Septic Installer & Service Technician; do not treat it as a quoted range for the complete role.
Annual wages
Septic Installer & Service Technician, the United States, annual wages: 10% earned less than $37,040, half earned less than the median of $49,880, 90% earned less than $73,490 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,040 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $43,530 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $49,880 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $61,060 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $73,490 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $53,500 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
Septic Installer & Service Technician, the United States, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $17.81, half earned less than the median of $23.98, 90% earned less than $35.33 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.81 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $20.93 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $23.98 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $29.36 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $35.33 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $25.72 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Employment: BLS estimates 30,650 workers in this occupation nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 47-4071 Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners, National.
What BLS wages include. Base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. They leave out overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Target metros
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th percentile | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $47,560 | $39,530 to $59,900 | 280 | 0.5 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $46,410 | $37,480 to $59,150 | 170 | 0.59 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $45,820 | $37,550 to $55,420 | 150 | 0.53 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $47,790 | $40,420 to $49,920 | 180 | 1.25 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $57,260 | $48,490 to $71,070 | 860 | 0.46 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $57,260 | $48,490 to $71,070 | 860 | 0.46 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $45,240 | $44,320 to $54,840 | 450 | 0.57 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $43,120 | $37,330 to $48,340 | 440 | 0.68 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $52,210 | $44,060 to $64,290 | 820 | 0.92 |
How does Septic Installer & Service Technician pay differ by industry?
These are national industry estimates for SOC 47-4071, not local offers or separate estimates for the niche title. Industry names are exactly as BLS publishes them.
| Industry | NAICS | Median | Basis | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 22 | $54,840 | Annual | 140 |
| Utilities | 221000 | $54,840 | Annual | 140 |
| Water, Sewage and Other Systems | 221300 | $54,840 | Annual | 130 |
| Construction | 23 | $53,340 | Annual | 4,670 |
| Construction of Buildings | 236000 | $59,020 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Residential Building Construction | 236100 | $59,020 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | 237000 | $59,540 | Annual | 970 |
| Utility System Construction | 237100 | $59,980 | Annual | 950 |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 238000 | $51,940 | Annual | 3,540 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 238200 | $51,570 | Annual | 1,680 |
| Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 238900 | $53,440 | Annual | 1,860 |
| Manufacturing | 31-33 | $55,640 | Annual | 100 |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 327000 | $56,730 | Annual | 90 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 54 | $53,220 | Annual | 320 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 541000 | $53,220 | Annual | 320 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 541300 | $58,470 | Annual | 160 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 541600 | $69,170 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 561700 | $50,410 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Waste Management and Remediation Services | 562000 | $48,170 | Annual | 17,420 |
| Waste Collection | 562100 | $47,270 | Annual | 250 |
| Waste Treatment and Disposal | 562200 | $45,550 | Annual | 50 |
| Remediation and Other Waste Management Services | 562900 | $48,200 | Annual | 17,120 |
Industry estimates are national. Do not combine an industry median with a local percentile to invent an industry-specific local rate.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
Plumbing Foreman (47-1011)Plumbing General Foreman (47-1011)Plumbing Superintendent (11-9021)Which metros publish the highest and lowest medians?
This ranking uses the May 2025 annual median for Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners. It is not adjusted for living costs. A metro is a BLS statistical area, not just the city limits. Top-coded or suppressed medians are not ranked.
| Metro | Median | Employment | Location quotient | Trade median / all-occupations median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockford, IL | $75,010 | 50 | 1.78 | 1.59 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $74,550 | 40 | 3.66 | 1.25 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | $71,570 | 180 | 1.79 | 1.44 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $70,270 | 120 | 0.3 | 1.18 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $68,990 | 350 | 0.74 | 0.93 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $66,870 | 70 | 1.18 | 1.36 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | $66,010 | 60 | 2.06 | 1.34 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $65,930 | 60 | 3.5 | 1.04 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $64,180 | 830 | 2.01 | 0.88 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $63,750 | 150 | 1.82 | 1.23 |
| Knoxville, TN | $38,740 | 80 | 0.99 | 0.82 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | $38,360 | 60 | 2.16 | 0.82 |
| Amarillo, TX | $38,350 | 30 | 1.28 | 0.86 |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | $38,340 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS | 0.84 |
| Longview, TX | $37,950 | 40 | 1.69 | 0.84 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | $37,820 | 40 | 0.62 | 1.06 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | $37,560 | 30 | 0.58 | 0.80 |
| Lubbock, TX | $37,500 | 50 | 1.47 | 0.89 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK | $37,080 | 40 | 2.09 | 0.94 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | $36,350 | 30 | 1.17 | 0.82 |
The wage ratio is simple arithmetic: this occupation's median divided by the all-occupations median in the same area and unit. It is not a cost-of-living measure. Location quotient describes the concentration of employment, not relative pay. Neither predicts what a particular candidate will accept.
What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Septic Installer & Service Technician in National as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Septic Installer & Service Technician in National, the published median for SOC 47-4071, Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners, is $49,880 per year. The middle half of the Septic Installer & Service Technician in National wage distribution runs from $43,530 to $61,060, a width of $17,530 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
For the national Septic Installer & Service Technician comparison, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ reports $57,260 per year while Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA reports $64,180 per year; these are the largest-employment metros with published medians for the occupation, rather than neighboring places to a national estimate. The United States Septic Installer & Service Technician figure pools markets with different work scopes and schedules, so use the area table before setting a local offer.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners, read alongside Septic Installer & Service Technician in National, are Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services at $69,170 per year (NAICS 541600); Utility System Construction at $59,980 per year (NAICS 237100); Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction at $59,540 per year (NAICS 237000). Those Septic Installer & Service Technician in National industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Septic Installer & Service Technician in National median was $49,140 per year in May 2024, compared with $49,880 in May 2025, a published difference of $740. That Septic Installer & Service Technician in National comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $49,140 and $49,880 Septic Installer & Service Technician in National estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $49,880 per year for Septic Installer & Service Technician in National, separate on-call duties, overtime, travel reimbursement, tool replacement and any truck allowance separately; prevailing wage and union requirements must be checked against the actual assignment. The Septic Installer & Service Technician in National BLS comparison includes ordinary wages and qualifying incentive pay, but leaves overtime, discretionary bonuses, benefits and relocation outside this wage figure. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Septic Installer & Service Technician in National can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Septic Installer & Service Technician in National is proxy: Closest proxy: Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners; This published occupation covers only part of Septic Installer & Service Technician; do not treat it as a quoted range for the complete role. For a Septic Installer & Service Technician in National opening, establish the equipment, license requirements and responsibility before deciding which people the pay range should attract. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Septic Installer & Service Technician in National buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Septic Installer & Service Technician in National buyer?
Septic Installer & Service Technician in National has a published middle-half band of $43,530 to $61,060, a width of $17,530 per year, with median $49,880. An offer inside that Septic Installer & Service Technician in National band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Septic Installer & Service Technician in National?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA are the largest-employment comparison markets used for Septic Installer & Service Technician in National. Comparing those Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners tables with the $49,880 Septic Installer & Service Technician in National median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Septic Installer & Service Technician in National?
Septic Installer & Service Technician in National uses national industry rows for SOC 47-4071, not local sector-specific wages. Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services leads the selected sortable rows at $69,170 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Septic Installer & Service Technician in National.
What changed between the releases for Septic Installer & Service Technician in National?
Septic Installer & Service Technician in National moved from $49,140 in May 2024 to $49,880 in May 2025. These Septic Installer & Service Technician in National published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 47-4071. Published annual median: $49,140 (May 2024) and $49,880 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.