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.
National median · BLS
$49,880
▲ +1.51%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$53,500
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
30,650
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$37,040
25th
$43,530
Median (50th)
$49,880
75th
$61,060
90th — top pay
$73,490
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
BLS projects employment of septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners to grow 7.8% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 2,800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
31,900 → 34,400
+2,500 jobs
Projected change
+7.8%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
2,800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
3.1% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners do
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.
Also called
Drain CleanerSeptic Pump Truck DriverSeptic Tank Service TechnicianService TechnicianDrain TechnicianPublic Works TechnicianSeptic CleanerSewer Bricklayer
More job titles for this occupation (19)
Aseptic Tech (Aseptic Technician)Drain and Sewer TechnicianElectric Sewer Cleaning Machine OperatorHigh Reach OperatorPipe Cleaning Machine OperatorPriming Machine OperatorPublic Works OperatorReach OperatorRoto Rooter OperatorSeptic Tank CleanerSeptic TechnicianSewage Screen OperatorSewer and Drain TechnicianSewer CleanerSewer Line RepairerSewer Pipe CleanerSewer TechnicianStormwater TechnicianTransport Tank Technician
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $49,880.
