BLS calls the job refuse and recyclable material collectors. It covers both the workers who ride the truck and lift cans and those who drive it, and BLS says the job has some of the highest injury rates of any occupation. These figures are straight-time pay; overtime is not included.

How much do garbage collectors make?

BLS counted 147,240 refuse and recycling collector jobs in May 2025. Their pay spread:

Measure (May 2025) Annual Hourly
Lowest 10% earned less than $33,590
25th percentile $39,080
Median $49,690 $23.89
Average (mean) $52,820 $25.39
75th percentile $62,020
Top 10% earned more than $75,900

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, occupation 53-7081, from the BLS national data file downloaded October 27, 2026.

Garbage collector vs truck driver and laborer pay

Job (BLS title) Jobs Median, May 2025 Average
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers 2,062,040 $58,640 $59,710
Highway maintenance workers 154,960 $50,260 $53,080
Refuse and recyclable material collectors 147,240 $49,690 $52,820
Laborers and hand material movers 2,950,280 $40,240 $42,260

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, national estimates.

Garbage collectors earn about $9,500 more than general laborers at the median. Collectors who drive trucks above a certain size need a commercial driver's license, according to BLS, which requires passing written, skill and vision tests.

Garbage collector salary by state

BLS WAGE DATA · MAY 2025

Garbage collector salary by state

Median annual wage and number of jobs in each state for refuse and recyclable material collectors, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national median is $49,690.

Color the map by
Alabama: $46,240 medianALAlaska: $45,740 medianAKArizona: $46,910 medianAZArkansas: $35,640 medianARCalifornia: $64,890 medianCAColorado: $60,310 medianCOConnecticut: $38,220 medianDelaware: $61,290 medianFlorida: $47,820 medianFLGeorgia: $46,960 medianGAHawaii: $56,270 medianHIIdaho: $49,880 medianIDIllinois: $75,050 medianILIndiana: $58,900 medianINIowa: $49,850 medianIAKansas: $45,510 medianKSKentucky: $43,100 medianKYLouisiana: $38,810 medianLAMaine: $43,360 medianMEMaryland: $41,870 medianMassachusetts: $50,310 medianMichigan: $51,030 medianMIMinnesota: $62,570 medianMNMississippi: $39,170 medianMSMissouri: $50,010 medianMOMontana: $49,420 medianMTNebraska: $49,390 medianNENevada: $61,310 medianNVNew Hampshire: $46,580 medianNHNew Jersey: $54,630 medianNew Mexico: $47,660 medianNMNew York: $64,950 medianNYNorth Carolina: $44,670 medianNCNorth Dakota: $59,000 medianNDOhio: $49,330 medianOHOklahoma: $43,060 medianOKOregon: $63,210 medianORPennsylvania: $48,240 medianPARhode Island: $55,970 medianSouth Carolina: $34,880 medianSCSouth Dakota: $32,950 medianSDTennessee: $43,270 medianTNTexas: $46,330 medianTXUtah: $59,310 medianUTVermont: $51,960 medianVTVirginia: $46,530 medianVAWashington: $74,620 medianWAWashington, D.C.: $55,490 medianWest Virginia: $35,840 medianWVWisconsin: $59,810 medianWIWyoming: $48,820 medianWY
Small states
Under $42K$42K to $48K$48K to $54K$54K to $60K$60K+No BLS estimate
ILLINOIS · MAY 2025$75,050median annual wage, #1 of 51 with a figure
THE DETAIL$68,310 average · 4,910 jobsBureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Click or tap a state, or use Tab and Enter. These are wages paid in May 2025 to refuse and recyclable material collectors, BLS occupation 53-7081. BLS counts straight-time pay, so overtime is not included.

All 51 state figures
Refuse and recyclable material collectors pay by state, May 2025
StateMedianAverageJobs
$75,050$68,3104,910
$74,620$71,6903,750
$64,950$67,13011,630
$64,890$66,30013,930
$63,210$62,9302,500
$62,570$59,7902,500
$61,310$64,120770
$61,290$58,000600
$60,310$57,8603,700
$59,810$55,0901,550
$59,310$56,420960
$59,000$56,220360
$58,900$54,9303,180
$56,270$53,780770
$55,970$53,190470
$55,490$55,960540
$54,630$54,2604,330
$51,960$54,110160
$51,030$52,2804,020
$50,310$54,2301,010
$50,010$50,3001,930
$49,880$51,350730
$49,850$51,1201,780
$49,420$50,200370
$49,390$48,610910
$49,330$49,9904,710
$48,820$47,170280
$48,240$49,4006,220
$47,820$48,96011,650
$47,660$46,9401,070
$46,960$46,1504,830
$46,910$48,5002,380
$46,580$47,400340
$46,530$46,1004,330
$46,330$44,70012,860
$46,240$45,4502,790
$45,740$51,900250
$45,510$42,960910
$44,670$42,5907,250
$43,360$44,840770
$43,270$44,3202,550
$43,100$42,7101,580
$43,060$43,5202,030
$41,870$46,7403,120
$39,170$42,3001,970
$38,810$41,9002,200
$38,220$45,120810
$35,840$36,8201,000
$35,640$37,2501,600
$34,880$35,6902,020
$32,950$34,810340

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 53-7081, from the BLS state data file downloaded October 27, 2026. Boundaries: US Census via us-atlas.

The 10 states with the highest median pay in May 2025:

State Median wage, May 2025 Collector jobs
Illinois $75,050 4,910
Washington $74,620 3,750
New York $64,950 11,630
California $64,890 13,930
Oregon $63,210 2,500
Minnesota $62,570 2,500
Nevada $61,310 770
Delaware $61,290 600
Colorado $60,310 3,700
Wisconsin $59,810 1,550

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.

The lowest state medians were South Dakota ($32,950), South Carolina ($34,880), Arkansas ($35,640), West Virginia ($35,840) and Connecticut ($38,220). An Illinois collector at the median earned about 2.3 times as much as one in South Dakota.

California (13,930 jobs, $64,890) and New York (11,630, $64,950) are both big and well paid. Texas (12,860, $46,330) and Florida (11,650, $47,820), the other two large workforces, pay below the national median.

Highest-paying metro areas for garbage collectors

Metro area Median wage, May 2025 Collector jobs
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $77,570 2,040
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $77,470 3,330
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $75,090 2,100
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $69,300 1,230
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $65,920 1,500
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $65,310 13,310
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI $64,410 1,550
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $62,490 4,210
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $61,940 1,280
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $61,190 1,970

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan areas with at least 1,000 collector jobs. San Jose's median was $87,430 for 870 jobs, the highest of any metro.

Some big metros pay below the national median: $46,320 in Houston, $46,040 in Baltimore and $46,530 in the Washington, DC area.

NYC sanitation worker salary

New York City's Department of Sanitation publishes its pay scale. The city says a sanitation worker's current starting salary is $47,752, and the labor agreement raises it in steps to $95,316 after five and a half years of service. Workers can also earn differentials for some assignments and overtime on top. That top step is about 1.9 times the national median for the job.

Source: NYC Department of Sanitation, Salary and Benefits page, accessed October 27, 2026.

Private vs city garbage collector pay

Employer Jobs Median wage, May 2025
Waste collection companies 76,410 $50,600
Local government 43,690 $47,020
Waste treatment and disposal 15,380 $60,040
Employment services (temp agencies) 3,500 $35,350
Remediation and other waste services 2,390 $48,290

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry estimates.

About half of collectors work for private waste companies and about 30% for local governments. Nationally, the private median is slightly higher, though big-city departments like New York's pay well above both. Temp workers earn the least, at $35,350.

Job outlook for garbage collectors

BLS projects employment of refuse and recyclable material collectors to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, from 156,400 to 159,600 jobs, slower than the average for all occupations. Most openings will come from collectors who retire or change jobs.

How I checked these numbers

Every state, metro and national figure comes from the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data files, which I downloaded on October 27, 2026, for occupation 53-7081. The NYC figures come from the Department of Sanitation's own salary page, and the outlook from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Related reading

Sources & methodology

Observations retain their source, period and definition. Uncertainty is preserved; missing values are not zero.

  1. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: national, state and metropolitan area data files (BLS) ↗

    BLS

    Accessed 2026-10-25.

  2. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Hand Laborers and Material Movers (BLS) ↗

    BLS

    Accessed 2026-10-27.

  3. Sanitation Workers: Salary and Benefits (NYC Department of Sanitation) ↗

    NYC Department of Sanitation

    Accessed 2026-10-27.