Water Treatment Plant Operating
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Water Treatment Plant Operating occupation series (code 5409), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
With 265 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Water Treatment Plant Operating ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family, and headcount edged down from the prior period. Its average salary of $89,105 pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- -0.4%
- Pay change
- +0.6%
- Avg tenure
- 12.2 yrs
- Rank in family
- #6 of 12
What the Numbers Say About Water Treatment Plant Operating
Headcount moved down versus the prior period, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend. Pay moved up between the two reporting periods, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. On length of service, this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Code 54, the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family, is where the federal government classifies Water Treatment Plant Operating alongside 11 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Water Treatment Plant Operating postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family. Across the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family, 4,810 employees work in 12 occupations; Water Treatment Plant Operating is 5.5% of that headcount.
Salary Context
How Water Treatment Plant Operating pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$89,105
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-24.1%
Where Water Treatment Plant Operating ranks on federal pay
Water Treatment Plant Operating earns more on average than 45% of federal occupation series (242 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Water Treatment Plant Operating sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Water Treatment Plant Operating.
Related Occupations in Industrial Equipment Operation Family
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lock and Dam Operating | 1,197 | $68,109 | 13.2 yrs |
| Boiler Plant Operating | 762 | $76,211 | 12.8 yrs |
| Electrical Power Controlling | 711 | $156,821 | 17.5 yrs |
| Fuel Distribution System Operating | 700 | $81,595 | 11.2 yrs |
| Utility Systems Operating | 419 | $75,930 | 12.5 yrs |
| Sewage Disposal Plant Operating | 235 | $78,823 | 12.3 yrs |
| Misc Industrial Equipment Operation | 184 | $95,593 | 15.9 yrs |
| Sandblasting | 153 | $65,089 | 12 yrs |
| Air Conditioning Equipment Operating | 130 | $76,659 | 15.2 yrs |
| Packaging Machine Operating | 27 | $75,706 | 17.7 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Water Treatment Plant Operating outside the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (265 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($89,105 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Water Treatment Plant Operating pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Water Treatment Plant Operating postings on USAJOBS.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.