Office and Administrative Support Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 43-5041

Meter Readers, Utilities

The published band from $34,720 to $85,930 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Brokerage Clerks.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Meter Readers, Utilities: Brokerage Clerks ($66K) , Proofreaders and Copy Markers ($51K) , Financial Clerks, All Other ($54K) , Communications Equipment Operators, All Other ($55K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Meter Readers, Utilities publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 43-5041 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Read electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters and enter data in route books or hand-held computers
  2. 2. Upload into office computers all information collected on hand-held computers during meter rounds, or return route books or hand-held com…
  3. 3. Walk or drive vehicles along established routes to take readings of meter dials
  4. 4. Inspect meters for unauthorized connections, defects, and damage, such as broken seals
  5. 5. Verify readings in cases where consumption appears to be abnormal, and record possible reasons for fluctuations
  6. 6. Report to service departments any problems, such as meter irregularities, damaged equipment, or impediments to meter access, including dogs
  7. 7. Leave messages to arrange different times to read meters in cases in which meters are not accessible
  8. 8. Connect and disconnect utility services at specific locations
  9. 9. Answer customers' questions about services and charges, or direct them to customer service centers
  10. 10. Update client address and meter location information
  11. 11. Report lost or broken keys
  12. 12. Perform preventative maintenance or minor repairs on meters

Meter Readers, Utilities: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 43-5041 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 3.0 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 3.0
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.0
  3. 3. Speaking 3.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.0
  5. 5. Service Orientation 3.0
  6. 6. Time Management 3.0
  7. 7. Monitoring 2.9
  8. 8. Complex Problem Solving 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 3.7
  2. 2. Public Safety and Security 3.5
  3. 3. English Language 3.4
  4. 4. Mathematics 3.1
  5. 5. Mechanical 2.9
  6. 6. Computers and Electronics 2.9
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$34,720 to $85,930
median $48,150 · ~2.5× spread
$48K
National median
↓ -12%
Growth 2024-2034
1,300
Annual openings
19,430
Estimated US jobs
Brokerage Clerks
Highest-pay peer · $66K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Meter Readers, Utilities

1. Oregon $63,660
2. Pennsylvania $78,450
3. California $79,040
4. Connecticut $64,180
5. Nevada $76,120
6. Alaska $62,690
7. Minnesota $73,930
8. Washington $65,900
9. New Jersey $63,030
10. Colorado $66,550

Other Office and Administrative Support Occupations titles

  1. 1. Proofreaders and Copy Markers $51,120
  2. 2. Financial Clerks, All Other $53,830
  3. 3. Communications Equipment Operators, All Other $54,680
  4. 4. Postal Service Mail Carriers $60,550
  5. 5. Desktop Publishers $55,290
  6. 6. Brokerage Clerks $65,750

The OEWS band for Meter Readers, Utilities runs from $34,720 (10th) to $85,930 (90th), about 2.5× wide, with median $48,150. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -12% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Oregon at $63,660. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Brokerage Clerks at $65,750. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Meter Readers, Utilities pay-rank #29 in Office and Administrative Support Occupations

Meter Readers, Utilities sits at pay-rank #29 of 54 detailed Office and Administrative Support Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Meter Readers, Utilities is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Meter Readers, Utilities salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 43-5041

Oregon · top state for Meter Readers, Utilities

$64K published median

Pennsylvania · #2 state pay

$78K · behind Oregon

Brokerage Clerks

Highest-pay peer vs Meter Readers, Utilities · $66K

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

Lower-pay peer beside Meter Readers, Utilities · $51K

Compare Meter Readers, Utilities

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Meter Readers, Utilities with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Meter Readers, Utilities mid-table among Office and Administrative Support Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #29 of 54 detailed Office and Administrative Support Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Billing and Posting Clerks ($49K), New Accounts Clerks ($48K), Court, Municipal, and License Clerks ($49K), Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive ($48K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do meter readers, utilities do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Meter Readers, Utilities. Leading ones include: Read electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters and enter data in route books or hand-held computers; Upload into office computers all information collected on hand-held computers during meter rounds, or return route books or hand-held com…; Walk or drive vehicles along established routes to take readings of meter dials; Inspect meters for unauthorized connections, defects, and damage, such as broken seals. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for meter readers, utilities? ▼
For SOC 43-5041, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (3.0), Active Listening (3.0), Speaking (3.0), Critical Thinking (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Meter Readers, Utilities? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $34,720 and the 90th at $85,930 for Meter Readers, Utilities (2.5× spread). The national median is $48,150. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Meter Readers, Utilities? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Meter Readers, Utilities is -12%. Projected annual openings: about 1,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Meter Readers, Utilities? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Meter Readers, Utilities. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Meter Readers, Utilities? ▼
Oregon ($63,660), Pennsylvania ($78,450), California ($79,040) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Meter Readers, Utilities card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 43-5041. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Meter Readers, Utilities. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics