Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for refuse and recyclable material collectors in the U.S. is $49,690 ($23.89 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $49,690
- Mean annual wage
- $52,820
- Median hourly wage
- $23.89
- Employment
- 147,240
147,240 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,590 | $16.15 |
| 25th percentile | $39,080 | $18.79 |
| Median (50th) | $49,690 | $23.89 |
| 75th percentile | $62,020 | $29.82 |
| 90th percentile | $75,900 | $36.49 |
Highest-paying states for refuse and recyclable material collectors
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Lowest-paying states
- South Dakota: $32,950 median annual wage
- South Carolina: $34,880 median annual wage
- Arkansas: $35,640 median annual wage
- West Virginia: $35,840 median annual wage
- Connecticut: $38,220 median annual wage
About this occupation
Collect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck. May drive truck.
Typical tasks
- Communicate with dispatchers concerning delays, unsafe sites, accidents, equipment breakdowns, or other maintenance problems.
- Operate automated or semi-automated hoisting devices that raise refuse bins and dump contents into openings in truck bodies.
- Check road or weather conditions to determine how routes will be affected.
- Clean trucks or compactor bodies after routes have been completed.
- Tag garbage or recycling containers to inform customers of problems, such as excess garbage or inclusion of items that are not permitted.
- Dismount garbage trucks to collect garbage and remount trucks to ride to the next collection point.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: No formal educational credential
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 25.6% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 49.4% |
| Some college, no degree | 15.6% |
| Associate's degree | 3.3% |
| Bachelor's degree | 5.0% |
| Master's degree | 0.6% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.5% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$46,420
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$62,890
- Packers and Packagers, Hand$36,280
- Driver/Sales Workers$38,770
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.