Occupation overview

Meter Readers, Utilities Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for meter readers, utilities is $48,150, or $23.15 per hour. About 19,430 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $79,040 in California to $37,120 in Mississippi.

Median annual
$48,150
Median hourly
$23.15
Entry level (P10)
$34,720
Top 10% (P90)
$85,930
Employment
19,430
States covered
39

Wage distribution nationwide

Earnings spread across all U.S. workers in this occupation.

10th percentile90th percentile
$34,720
$39,410
$48,150
$65,750
$34,720$48,150$85,930
Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $48,150.

Salary by state

All 39 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#StateMedian annual Median hourlyEmployment Location quotient
1California$79,040$38.008100.35
2Pennsylvania$78,450$37.728601.13
3Nevada$76,120$36.601600.84
4Minnesota$73,930$35.541200.33
5Colorado$66,550$32.001500.43
6Washington$65,900$31.683900.88
7Connecticut$64,180$30.861400.64
8Oregon$63,660$30.611200.50
9New Jersey$63,030$30.318701.62
10Alaska$62,690$30.14400.91
11Wyoming$61,470$29.55501.41
12Iowa$60,940$29.301200.63
13Michigan$60,870$29.272700.50
14Illinois$60,690$29.185700.75
15West Virginia$59,430$28.572803.17
16Delaware$58,240$28.00300.56
17New York$56,960$27.389300.76
18Rhode Island$56,830$27.32400.62
19Massachusetts$54,150$26.033000.66
20Hawaii$51,910$24.96500.62
21Kansas$49,870$23.97800.43
22Indiana$49,200$23.663300.83
23Missouri$49,150$23.633300.90
24New Mexico$48,530$23.333503.18
25South Carolina$47,850$23.014101.43
26Ohio$47,780$22.971,0701.55
27Alabama$45,710$21.984701.77
28Tennessee$45,210$21.748602.09
29Arizona$44,760$21.523600.90
30Kentucky$44,450$21.376902.76
31Virginia$44,020$21.166301.22
32Georgia$43,140$20.746701.10
33Texas$43,030$20.691,3600.77
34North Carolina$41,830$20.116401.04
35Florida$40,610$19.53——
36Oklahoma$39,480$18.983901.84
37Louisiana$37,570$18.065002.07
38Arkansas$37,340$17.952301.41
39Mississippi$37,120$17.856004.10

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Frequently asked questions

How much do meter readers, utilities make?

The median annual wage for meter readers, utilities in the United States is $48,150, or $23.15 per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $34,720, and the top 10% earn $85,930.

How many meter readers, utilities are employed in the U.S.?

About 19,430 people work as meter readers, utilities nationwide.

Which state pays meter readers, utilities the most?

California pays the most at a median of $79,040, followed by Pennsylvania ($78,450) and Nevada ($76,120).

Which state pays meter readers, utilities the least?

Mississippi has the lowest median at $37,120.

Where are meter readers, utilities jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is Mississippi at 4.10×.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26. bls.gov/oes