Hazardous Materials Removal Workers in the Fort Wayne Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Hazardous Materials Removal Workers pay in Fort Wayne, IN at a median of $45,260 per year ($21.76/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $49,450, the metro estimate is 8% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 70 hazardous materials removal workers are employed across the Fort Wayne MSA in SOC 47-4041.

The Fort Wayne pay distribution spans from $36,930 at the 10th percentile to $57,960 at the 90th, a 1.6× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $44,260 and the 75th at $47,480, so half of Fort Wayne-based hazardous materials removal workers earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Fort Wayne, IN covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide IN estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.