Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors pay in the U.S.
$52,820avg. a year
$25.39 an hour · 147,240 employed
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in the U.S. earn an average of $52,820 a year and a median of $49,690. Pay is highest in Washington ($71,690) and lowest in South Dakota ($34,810).
$49,690Median pay
$25.39Average hourly
+24%Avg. pay since 2020
147,240Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for refuse and recyclable material collectors
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
13,750 jobs
Washington
$71,690
$34.46 an hour
24,910 jobs
Illinois
$68,310
$32.84 an hour
311,630 jobs
New York
$67,130
$32.27 an hour
413,930 jobs
California
$66,300
$31.87 an hour
5770 jobs
Nevada
$64,120
$30.83 an hour
62,500 jobs
Oregon
$62,930
$30.25 an hour
72,500 jobs
Minnesota
$59,790
$28.75 an hour
8600 jobs
Delaware
$58,000
$27.88 an hour
93,700 jobs
Colorado
$57,860
$27.82 an hour
10960 jobs
Utah
$56,420
$27.13 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.
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors 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 $45k$45k–$50k$50k–$55k$55k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $88,030 | $42.32 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $76,420 | $36.74 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $76,010 | $36.54 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $71,570 | $34.41 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $70,560 | $33.92 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $69,090 | $33.22 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $68,770 | $33.06 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $67,140 | $32.28 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors 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 | $45,450 | $46,240 | 2,790 |
| Alaska | $51,900 | $45,740 | 250 |
| Arizona | $48,500 | $46,910 | 2,380 |
| Arkansas | $37,250 | $35,640 | 1,600 |
| California | $66,300 | $64,890 | 13,930 |
| Colorado | $57,860 | $60,310 | 3,700 |
| Connecticut | $45,120 | $38,220 | 810 |
| Delaware | $58,000 | $61,290 | 600 |
| District of Columbia | $55,960 | $55,490 | 540 |
| Florida | $48,960 | $47,820 | 11,650 |
| Georgia | $46,150 | $46,960 | 4,830 |
| Hawaii | $53,780 | $56,270 | 770 |
| Idaho | $51,350 | $49,880 | 730 |
| Illinois | $68,310 | $75,050 | 4,910 |
| Indiana | $54,930 | $58,900 | 3,180 |
| Iowa | $51,120 | $49,850 | 1,780 |
| Kansas | $42,960 | $45,510 | 910 |
| Kentucky | $42,710 | $43,100 | 1,580 |
| Louisiana | $41,900 | $38,810 | 2,200 |
| Maine | $44,840 | $43,360 | 770 |
| Maryland | $46,740 | $41,870 | 3,120 |
| Massachusetts | $54,230 | $50,310 | 1,010 |
| Michigan | $52,280 | $51,030 | 4,020 |
| Minnesota | $59,790 | $62,570 | 2,500 |
| Mississippi | $42,300 | $39,170 | 1,970 |
| Missouri | $50,300 | $50,010 | 1,930 |
| Montana | $50,200 | $49,420 | 370 |
| Nebraska | $48,610 | $49,390 | 910 |
| Nevada | $64,120 | $61,310 | 770 |
| New Hampshire | $47,400 | $46,580 | 340 |
| New Jersey | $54,260 | $54,630 | 4,330 |
| New Mexico | $46,940 | $47,660 | 1,070 |
| New York | $67,130 | $64,950 | 11,630 |
| North Carolina | $42,590 | $44,670 | 7,250 |
| North Dakota | $56,220 | $59,000 | 360 |
| Ohio | $49,990 | $49,330 | 4,710 |
| Oklahoma | $43,520 | $43,060 | 2,030 |
| Oregon | $62,930 | $63,210 | 2,500 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,400 | $48,240 | 6,220 |
| Rhode Island | $53,190 | $55,970 | 470 |
| South Carolina | $35,690 | $34,880 | 2,020 |
| South Dakota | $34,810 | $32,950 | 340 |
| Tennessee | $44,320 | $43,270 | 2,550 |
| Texas | $44,700 | $46,330 | 12,860 |
| Utah | $56,420 | $59,310 | 960 |
| Vermont | $54,110 | $51,960 | 160 |
| Virginia | $46,100 | $46,530 | 4,330 |
| Washington | $71,690 | $74,620 | 3,750 |
| West Virginia | $36,820 | $35,840 | 1,000 |
| Wisconsin | $55,090 | $59,810 | 1,550 |
| Wyoming | $47,170 | $48,820 | 280 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$66,040
13,310 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$45,430
4,300 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$61,710
4,210 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$50,620
3,370 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$71,570
3,330 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$50,660
3,100 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$48,300
2,950 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$55,700
2,610 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do refuse and recyclable material collectors make?
The average is $52,820 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $49,690 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $25.39, and the median is $23.89 an hour.
Which state pays refuse and recyclable material collectors the most?
Washington, with an average of $71,690 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $88,030.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $33,590 a year, and the top 10% earn over $75,900.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 53-7081. 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.