Garbage Man Salary

How much money does a garbage man make? According to the U.S. News & World Report, the average garbage man salary is $33,660 in the United States. But how much does a garbage man make an hour? Reportedly, the garbage man salary per hour is $15.00, based on Payscale statistics. Nevertheless, the average salary of a garbage man depends on far more aspects than just annual and hourly data. Find out what you need to keep in perspective when estimating your wage as a garbage collector below.

Garbage Man Salary Influencers

1. Industry

To begin with, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that there were around 131,500 garbage collector jobs in 2014. Moreover, approximately 39% worked in the waste collection industry, while 34% were employed by the local government in the same year. As opposed to other employees in the broader hand laborers and material movers category, the salary of garbage man was certainly the greatest. Other occupations in industries like hand packaging or machine feeding offer between $21,000 and $29,400.

In addition to this, US News mentions that the average garbage man salary is considerably higher than some other similar jobs, like:

• Security guards
• Landscapers
• Groundskeepers
• Janitors
• Delivery truck drivers

2. Geographic Area

The garbage man annual salary is also strongly connected to their location. For example, an employee in this industry can make $40k in one state or barely over $20k in another. The largest garbage man salary in the United States is found in the District of Columbia, with $41,000 a year. There are several more states that come pretty close with high garbage man wages, too. These are:

• Garbage man salary NYC – $40,000
• Salary for garbage man in Massachusetts – $39,000
• Connecticut garbageman salary – $38,000
• Salary garbage man gets in Georgia – $37,000
• Illinois garbage collector salary – $37,000

All of the aforementioned states offer a garbage man pay scale that exceeds the national median salary for all U.S. occupations, of $36,200. However, there are some states with extremely low trash collector salary estimates. The BLS reports that the lowest garbage men salary in the country is in Hawaii, with just $20,000 annually. Some other states with low garbage man income are:

• Average pay for garbage man in South Dakota – $25,000
• Utah garbage collectors salary – $25,000
• Garbage collector pay in Alaska – $24,000
• Nebraska trash collectors salary – $24,000
• Garbage collection salary in Idaho – $21,000

But the garbage man pay shouldn’t be the only factor you consider. Having job opportunities is just as important. In this regard, the BLS tells us what states have the highest employment rates  for refuse and recyclable material collectors:

• California
• New York
• Texas
• Ohio

Consequently, those who meet garbage man requirements in New York have the opportunity of getting hired relatively quickly and with a decent salary.

3. Experience

Garbage collecting is one of the few occupations where the salary might lower in time. For instance, the average trash man salary for those with +20 years’ experience is smaller than that for those with 10-20 years in the field. In other words, those who are experienced can make $46,000 a year, while those in their late career make only $45,000 annually.

Furthermore, the greatest leap is between mid-career and experienced, with a $9k difference between the two stages. Employees with 5-10 years’ experience (mid-career) earn $37,000 annually. Those who are just getting started or have up to 5 years of experience can get $31,000 a year.

Working Hours and Environment

The majority of trash collectors have full time work schedules. Also, they are prone to working in shifts, some that exceed 8 hours. They might also work overtime, depending on their agreement with their employer.

The working environment of garbage men puts them in direct contact with refuse materials, which may or may not be an inconvenience to the candidate.

Garbage Man Salary by State

State	Annual mean wage ($)
Alabama	33,000
Alaska	24,000
Arizona	27,000
Arkansas	33,000
California	35,000
Colorado	29,000
Connecticut	38,000
Delaware	29,000
District of Columbia	41,000
Florida	30,000
Georgia	37,000
Hawaii	20,000
Idaho	21,000
Illinois	37,000
Indiana	31,000
Iowa	32,000
Kansas	30,000
Kentucky	28,000
Louisiana	29,000
Maine	29,000
Maryland	34,000
Massachusetts	39,000
Michigan	33,000
Minnesota	29,000
Mississippi	34,000
Missouri	32,000
Montana	27,000
Nebraska	24,000
Nevada	25,000
New Hampshire	32,000
New Jersey	35,000
New Mexico	28,000
New York	40,000
North Carolina	31,000
North Dakota	29,000
Ohio	31,000
Oklahoma	30,000
Oregon	32,000
Pennsylvania	32,000
Rhode Island	30,000
South Carolina	32,000
South Dakota	25,000
Tennessee	30,000
Texas	32,000
Utah	25,000
Vermont	29,000
Virginia	33,000
Washington	34,000
West Virginia	31,000
Wisconsin	29,000
Wyoming	27,000

Source: Indeed.com

Bonuses and Benefit Packages

Trash collectors can get an annual bonus of up to $2,020, depending on their performance, overtime and other factors that fall under this category. As for health benefits, it is reported that 70% of garbage men have medical benefits. Moreover, 62% enjoy dental coverage and 50% vision insurance. Only around 27% have no health benefits.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for garbage men is equivalent to the national average for all U.S. professions in the economy. Job opportunities are projected to increase 7% in the following years. This percent change in employment is higher than those projected for hand laborers and material movers in general, which is just 5%. Even more so, material moving workers are expected to have just 4% more jobs in the 2014-2024 period.

Conclusion

To conclude, the garbage man salary and medical benefits can make this an attractive job opportunity for candidates that qualify. As long as you’re in a well-paying state with plenty of openings, such as New York, you are likely to land a job in due time.

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