Occupations · Construction and Extraction
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
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 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 47-4071.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 76% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $59,170 | 1,090 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $62,830 | 780 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $52,330 | 580 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $51,060 | 520 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $52,000 | 510 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $45,480 | 460 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $47,090 | 450 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $50,460 | 440 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $50,250 | 430 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $50,630 | 380 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $59,170 | 360 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $61,960 | 360 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- 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.
- Clean and disinfect domestic basements and other areas flooded by sewer stoppages.
- Locate problems, using specially designed equipment, and mark where digging must occur to reach damaged tanks or pipes.
- Withdraw cables from pipes and examine them for evidence of mud, roots, grease, and other deposits indicating broken or clogged sewer lines.
- Ensure that repaired sewer line joints are tightly sealed before backfilling begins.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2017-07
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2017-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
Tasks O*NET flags as emerging
- Pump, clean, and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or related structures such as manholes, culverts, and catch basins.
O*NET 30.3 emerging tasks
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 1 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 2
No longer listed 2
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| sewer construction worker | 7126.11 | close |
| sewerage maintenance technician | 3112.1.12 | close |
| sewerage network operative | 7126.10 | close |
| drain technician | 7126.2 | close |
| water network operative | 7126.14 | close |
| drainage worker | 9312.1.1 | close |
| septic tank servicer | 7126.9 | broader |
| sewerage cleaner | 9129.2 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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