Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$49,880

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$43,530 – $61,060

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

30,650

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+7.8%

Growing at twice the all-jobs rate or more (7%+)

Openings a year (projected)

2,800

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or drains. May patch walls and partitions of tank, replace damaged drain tile, or repair breaks in underground piping.

Main tasks

• Communicate with supervisors and other workers, using equipment such as wireless phones, pagers, or radio telephones.
• Drive trucks to transport crews, materials, and equipment.
• Inspect manholes to locate sewer line stoppages.
• Operate sewer cleaning equipment, including power rodders, high-velocity water jets, sewer flushers, bucket machines, wayne balls, and vac-alls.
• Prepare and keep records of actions taken, including maintenance and repair work.
• Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or related structures such as manholes, culverts, and catch basins.
• Measure excavation sites, using plumbers' snakes, tapelines, or lengths of cutting heads within sewers, and mark areas for digging.
• Service, adjust, and make minor repairs to equipment, machines, and attachments.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

  $63,800 median · +6.8% projected

• Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

  $60,020 median · -5.7% projected

• Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

  $49,590 median · +4.2% projected

• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

  $59,850 median · +4.6% projected

• Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining

  $57,430 median · +1% projected

• Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door

  $74,340 median · +4.3% projected