Water Treatment Operators vs Inspectors & Testers
Median pay is about $11k higher for Water Treatment Operators. Both usually start with the same education: high school.
marks the higher pay or growth. Education, difficulty and the AI rows depend on what you want, so they are not marked.
| Measure | Water Treatment Operators | Inspectors & Testers |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | ||
| Median pay | $60,020, higher | $48,570 |
| Entry pay 25th percentile | $48,040, higher | $39,890 |
| Experienced pay 75th percentile | $74,780, higher | $61,440 |
| Outlook, 2025 to 2035 | ||
| Projected growth | -5.7% Declining | +2.5% Growing, higher |
| Openings a year | 10,000 | 66,700 |
| Getting in | ||
| Typical education | High school | High school |
| Difficulty modeled | 2.2 / 5 | 1.4 / 5 |
| AI | ||
| Displacement risk modeled | Low | Moderate |
| AI exposure modeled, percentile | 49th pct | 43rd pct |
Where the skills differ
Only Water Treatment Operators
- Mathematics
Only Inspectors & Testers
- Writing
Both lean on monitoring, active listening, speaking, reading comprehension, critical thinking.
More comparisons
Compare Water Treatment Operators with
Compare Inspectors & Testers with
Pay and outlook: BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills: O*NET 30.3. Difficulty, displacement risk and AI exposure are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.