Careers / Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners

Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$49,880

United States, 2025

Employment

30,650

United States, 2025

Typical education

High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)

Job Zone 2

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

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.

O*NET code
47-4071.00
Job zone
2
Experience required
None

Typical 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.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$37,040
10th
$43,530
25th
$49,880
Median
$61,060
75th
$73,490
90th

10th percentile

$37,040

25th percentile

$43,530

75th percentile

$61,060

90th percentile

$73,490

Most important skills

  • Operation and Control3.9
  • Operations Monitoring3.6
  • Critical Thinking3.1
  • Active Listening3.0
  • Repairing3.0
  • Equipment Maintenance3.0
  • Troubleshooting3.0
  • Time Management3.0
  • Quality Control Analysis3.0
  • Complex Problem Solving2.9
  • Coordination2.9
  • Monitoring2.9

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 9 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

9

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Operation and Control3.93.0Not selected3.0
Operations Monitoring3.63.0Not selected3.0
Critical Thinking3.13.0Not selected3.0
Repairing3.03.1Not selected3.1
Troubleshooting3.03.0Not selected3.0
Active Listening3.02.9Not selected2.9
Equipment Maintenance3.02.9Not selected2.9
Time Management3.02.9Not selected2.9
Quality Control Analysis3.02.6Not selected2.6

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Rockford, IL$75,010502025
Mount Vernon, WA$74,550402025
Omaha, NE$71,5701802025
Minneapolis, MN$70,2701202025
San Francisco, CA$68,9903502025
NE$66,8903002025
Stockton, CA$66,870702025
Cedar Rapids, IA$66,010602025
Bremerton, WA$65,930602025
NJ$64,6502202025
NH$64,5903102025
Seattle, WA$64,1808302025
Des Moines, IA$63,7501502025
Waterloo, IA$63,610602025
Allentown, PA$63,4201202025
Bridgeport, CT$63,170902025
WA$63,0901,6002025
Bellingham, WA$62,9401102025
Bend, OR$62,840502025
Kenosha, WI$62,410502025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.