Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Occupation-level safety SOC 53-7081

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

Occupation-specific BLS fatality and injury rates set the reading order for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, then wages beside peers such as Commercial Pilots, Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers, Ship Engineers, Transportation Inspectors.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors: Commercial Pilots ($123K) , Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers ($62K) , Ship Engineers ($110K) , Transportation Inspectors ($92K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-7081 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Inspect trucks prior to beginning routes to ensure safe operating condition
  2. 2. Drive trucks, following established routes, through residential streets or alleys or through business or industrial areas
  3. 3. Refuel trucks or add other fluids, such as oil or brake fluid
  4. 4. Dump refuse or recyclable materials at disposal sites
  5. 5. Fill out defective equipment reports
  6. 6. Operate automated or semi-automated hoisting devices that raise refuse bins and dump contents into openings in truck bodies
  7. 7. Dismount garbage trucks to collect garbage and remount trucks to ride to the next collection point
  8. 8. Operate equipment that compresses collected refuse
  9. 9. Communicate with dispatchers concerning delays, unsafe sites, accidents, equipment breakdowns, or other maintenance problems
  10. 10. Check road or weather conditions to determine how routes will be affected
  11. 11. Tag garbage or recycling containers to inform customers of problems, such as excess garbage or inclusion of items that are not permitted
  12. 12. Clean trucks or compactor bodies after routes have been completed

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-7081 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 3.0 ; lead knowledge Mechanical. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 3.0
  2. 2. Operation and Control 3.0
  3. 3. Active Listening 2.9
  4. 4. Speaking 2.9
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 2.8
  6. 6. Equipment Maintenance 2.8
  7. 7. Reading Comprehension 2.6
  8. 8. Coordination 2.6

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mechanical 3.2
  2. 2. English Language 2.8
  3. 3. Transportation 2.6
  4. 4. Customer and Personal Service 2.5
  5. 5. Public Safety and Security 2.5
  6. 6. Administration and Management 2.1
Occupation safety grade
C
Moderate Risk
Transparent derived index from BLS CFOI/SOII, not an official BLS rating · formula
National median still $49,690/yr
$50K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
16,900
Annual openings
147,240
Estimated US jobs
Commercial Pilots
Highest-pay peer · $123K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

1. Delaware $61,290
2. Oregon $63,210
3. California $64,890
4. Washington $74,620
5. Illinois $75,050
6. Minnesota $62,570
7. New York $64,950
8. Wisconsin $59,810
9. Colorado $60,310
10. Nevada $61,310

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Commercial Pilots $123,220
  2. 2. Ship Engineers $109,530
  3. 3. Transportation Inspectors $92,100
  4. 4. Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers $61,770
  5. 5. Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators $77,320
  6. 6. Locomotive Engineers $81,410

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors carries an occupation-specific WageDex safety grade of C from BLS CFOI/SOII rates. The national OEWS median is $49,690 inside Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (SOC 53-7081).

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (slower than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 16,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Delaware at $61,290. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Commercial Pilots at $123,220. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors pay-rank #28 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors sits at pay-rank #28 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving 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.

SOC 53-7081 · national median $49,690 · middle third of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (#28/50). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-7081

Delaware · top state for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

$61K published median

Oregon · #2 state pay

$63K · behind Delaware

Commercial Pilots

Highest-pay peer vs Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors · $123K

Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers

Lower-pay peer beside Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors · $62K

Compare Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors with another occupation →

Safety and risk next reads

Safest Occupations

Roles with the strongest published safety grades

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors full wage map

State and metro pay after the safety lead

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors mid-table among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #28 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Dredge Operators ($50K), Bus Drivers, School ($48K), Sailors and Marine Oilers ($52K), Motorboat Operators ($48K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do refuse and recyclable material collectors do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. Leading ones include: Inspect trucks prior to beginning routes to ensure safe operating condition; Drive trucks, following established routes, through residential streets or alleys or through business or industrial areas; Refuel trucks or add other fluids, such as oil or brake fluid; Dump refuse or recyclable materials at disposal sites. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for refuse and recyclable material collectors? ▼
For SOC 53-7081, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (3.0), Operation and Control (3.0), Active Listening (2.9), Speaking (2.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Mechanical, English Language, Transportation. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $49,690 as the national median for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. The published 10th-90th range is $33,590 to $75,900. Beside Commercial Pilots ($123,220), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 16,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: slower than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors? ▼
Delaware ($61,290), Oregon ($63,210), California ($64,890) 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 Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-7081. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. 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