Meter Readers, Utilities pay in the U.S.
$55,380avg. a year
$26.63 an hour · 19,430 employed
Meter Readers, Utilities in the U.S. earn an average of $55,380 a year and a median of $48,150. Pay is highest in California ($79,610) and lowest in Louisiana ($38,430).
$48,150Median pay
$26.63Average hourly
+20%Avg. pay since 2020
19,430Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for meter readers, utilities
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1810 jobs
California
$79,610
$38.28 an hour
2390 jobs
Washington
$73,150
$35.17 an hour
3160 jobs
Nevada
$72,100
$34.66 an hour
4860 jobs
Pennsylvania
$71,010
$34.14 an hour
5140 jobs
Connecticut
$69,880
$33.60 an hour
6150 jobs
Colorado
$69,740
$33.53 an hour
7120 jobs
Minnesota
$68,300
$32.84 an hour
8870 jobs
New Jersey
$67,780
$32.59 an hour
950 jobs
Wyoming
$66,840
$32.14 an hour
1030 jobs
Delaware
$64,240
$30.89 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Meter Readers, Utilities pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $48k$48k–$58k$58k–$64k$64k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $98,850 | $47.52 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81,610 | $39.24 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $77,240 | $37.13 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $76,850 | $36.95 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $74,140 | $35.64 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $74,020 | $35.59 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $71,740 | $34.49 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $71,500 | $34.37 |
Related jobs
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$46,810
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks$62,150
- Postal Service Mail Carriers$62,540
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance$54,740
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators$59,430
- Public Safety Telecommunicators$56,740
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Meter Readers, Utilities pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $49,940 | $45,710 | 470 |
| Alaska | $62,030 | $62,690 | 40 |
| Arizona | $48,880 | $44,760 | 360 |
| Arkansas | $40,470 | $37,340 | 230 |
| California | $79,610 | $79,040 | 810 |
| Colorado | $69,740 | $66,550 | 150 |
| Connecticut | $69,880 | $64,180 | 140 |
| Delaware | $64,240 | $58,240 | 30 |
| Florida | $47,960 | $40,610 | – |
| Georgia | $47,200 | $43,140 | 670 |
| Hawaii | $55,160 | $51,910 | 50 |
| Illinois | $62,280 | $60,690 | 570 |
| Indiana | $58,170 | $49,200 | 330 |
| Iowa | $58,550 | $60,940 | 120 |
| Kansas | $48,660 | $49,870 | 80 |
| Kentucky | $47,050 | $44,450 | 690 |
| Louisiana | $38,430 | $37,570 | 500 |
| Massachusetts | $61,110 | $54,150 | 300 |
| Michigan | $62,870 | $60,870 | 270 |
| Minnesota | $68,300 | $73,930 | 120 |
| Mississippi | $40,580 | $37,120 | 600 |
| Missouri | $54,590 | $49,150 | 330 |
| Nevada | $72,100 | $76,120 | 160 |
| New Jersey | $67,780 | $63,030 | 870 |
| New Mexico | $51,790 | $48,530 | 350 |
| New York | $64,020 | $56,960 | 930 |
| North Carolina | $44,720 | $41,830 | 640 |
| Ohio | $56,420 | $47,780 | 1,070 |
| Oklahoma | $45,060 | $39,480 | 390 |
| Oregon | $61,440 | $63,660 | 120 |
| Pennsylvania | $71,010 | $78,450 | 860 |
| Rhode Island | $57,980 | $56,830 | 40 |
| South Carolina | $47,910 | $47,850 | 410 |
| Tennessee | $48,930 | $45,210 | 860 |
| Texas | $44,680 | $43,030 | 1,360 |
| Virginia | $45,090 | $44,020 | 630 |
| Washington | $73,150 | $65,900 | 390 |
| West Virginia | $58,430 | $59,430 | 280 |
| Wyoming | $66,840 | $61,470 | 50 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$71,500
1,110 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$74,140
400 jobsColumbus, OH
$54,300
390 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$50,420
380 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$48,550
310 jobsTampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
$43,650
310 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$51,540
300 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$47,620
270 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do meter readers, utilities make?
The average is $55,380 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $48,150 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $26.63, and the median is $23.15 an hour.
Which state pays meter readers, utilities the most?
California, with an average of $79,610 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $98,850.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $34,720 a year, and the top 10% earn over $85,930.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 43-5041. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.