How much do solid waste collection employees make?

The average solid waste collection employee earns $68,302 per year ($32.84/hour). This is above the national average of $65,000.

How many people work in the solid waste collection industry?

The solid waste collection industry employs 181,814 workers across 10,623 establishments in the United States. The average business has 17 employees.

Solid Waste Collection — Average Employee Salary

The average employee in the solid waste collection industry earns $68,302 per year ($32.84/hour), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW data.

$68,302

Avg Annual Pay

181,814

Total Employees

10,623

Total Establishments

Avg Employees/Business

What Do Solid Waste Collection Workers Earn?

At $68,302/year (equivalent to $32.84/hour for a full-time worker), solid waste collection wages are near the national average of ~$65,000.

The typical solid waste collection business employs 17 people. These are mid-sized operations where payroll is a significant but manageable expense.

Wages as a Percentage of Revenue

31.0%

For the average solid waste collection business generating $3.7M/year with 17 employees at $68,302 each, total payroll represents roughly 31.0% of revenue. Labor is a significant cost but leaves room for other expenses and profit.

What This Means for Business Owners

If you're starting or running a solid waste collectionbusiness, here's what the wage data means for your bottom line:

Per-employee cost: Budget approximately $88,793/year per employee (salary + ~30% for benefits, taxes, and insurance).
Typical team size: 17 employees = ~$1,161,134/year in base payroll.
Hourly equivalent: $32.84/hour base — factor this into pricing and project estimates.
Revenue needed: With average revenue of $3.7M/business, you need strong utilization rates to maintain healthy margins after payroll.

See how these wages compare to total revenue and profit margins.

View full Solid Waste Collection revenue benchmarks →

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do solid waste collection employees make?: The average solid waste collection employee earns $68,302 per year, which is equivalent to $32.84/hour for a full-time worker (2,080 hours/year). This is above the national average of approximately $65,000.
How many people work in the solid waste collection industry?: The solid waste collection industry employs 181,814 workers across 10,623 establishments in the United States. The average business in this industry has approximately 17 employees.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW 2023).