SOC 51-8031 · Production Occupations · May 2025

How much do Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators make in Billings, MT?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators in Billings, MT is $60,530. The 10th percentile is $56,720 and the 90th percentile is $76,880. Employment is 80.

Median annual wage

$60,530

10th percentile
$56,720
25th percentile
$59,000
Median
$60,530
75th percentile
$66,800
90th percentile
$76,880
Mean
$64,600

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A dental hygienist treating a patient
A dental hygienist at work. Photograph by baskyes. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Percentile spread

For Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators, the published 10th percentile is $56,720 and the 90th percentile is $76,880. The difference is $20,160, which is 33.3% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $59,000 to the 75th at $66,800, covers $7,800.

The mean annual wage is $64,600, which sits above the median of $60,530. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Billings, MT median is 0.8% higher than the national median of $60,020 for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators. In 2024 national prices the local median is $64,720, which is 7.8% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 4.3% higher than the Montana median of $58,040.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Billings, MT is 93.526, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $60,530 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators at $64,720 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

3 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators. Billings, MT ranks 2nd of 4 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Bozeman, MT is 113 miles away, with a median of $76,390 and employment of 70. That median is 26.2% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $74,520, against $64,720 here.
  • Great Falls, MT is 167 miles away, with a median of $56,900 and employment of 30. That median is 6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $58,754, against $64,720 here.
  • Helena, MT is 175 miles away, with a median of $57,410 and employment of 60. That median is 5.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $60,005, against $64,720 here.

Employment share

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators accounts for 0.09% of wage-and-salary employment in Billings, MT (80 of 93,800). Nationally the occupation is 0.08% of employment (128,490 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.03 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Billings, MT · Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators make in Billings, MT?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators in Billings, MT is $60,530. The 10th percentile is $56,720 and the 90th percentile is $76,880. Employment is 80.

How does that compare with the national median for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators?

The local median is 0.8% higher than the national median of $60,020.

What is Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators pay in Billings, MT after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Billings, MT is 93.526, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $60,530 is $64,720. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Billings, MT compare with nearby metros for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators?

Bozeman, MT is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 113 miles away, at $76,390. Billings, MT ranks 2nd of 4 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.