SALARY DATA — SOC 47-4041
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
47-0000 Construction and Extraction Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers is 2.14× — the national median is $49,450 but top decile earns $82,410. The spread exists; it's concentrated in geography, specialization, and industry sector. Knowing which end of the band you're on is the whole negotiation.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 51,710.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $38,460 | -22% | ~$18 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $44,720 | -10% | ~$22 |
| Median — 50th pct | $49,450 | — | $23.78/hr |
| Mean — average | $56,430 | +14% | $27.13/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $61,530 | +24% | ~$30 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $82,410 | +67% | ~$40 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers in 134 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 3,770 | $74,060 | $46,870 | $99,110 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 2,470 | $51,160 | $40,440 | $85,330 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 1,980 | $49,930 | $47,840 | $71,500 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 1,620 | $60,290 | $46,740 | $99,070 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 1,580 | $61,330 | $45,330 | $97,160 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 1,410 | $44,420 | $38,940 | $60,800 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 1,410 | $59,580 | $47,310 | $99,020 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1,280 | $43,200 | $39,040 | $59,270 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 930 | $60,260 | $45,820 | $71,430 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 890 | $49,130 | $38,460 | $76,660 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 25 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Hazardous Materials Removal Workers are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remediation and Other Waste Management Services | 562900 | 32,210 | $48,900 |
| Waste Treatment and Disposal | 562200 | 7,040 | $48,650 |
| Employment Services | 561300 | 1,930 | $47,890 |
| Residential Building Construction | 236100 | 1,710 | $48,670 |
| Waste Collection | 562100 | 1,450 | $49,230 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: Los Angeles ranks #11 of 49 on the paycheck and #43 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | $67,010 | 98.6 | $67,988 | +1 |
| New York | $74,060 | 112.6 | $65,794 | -1 |
| Nashville | $59,220 | 95.1 | $62,288 | +5 |
| Buffalo | $59,700 | 97.8 | $61,067 | +2 |
| Chicago | $61,330 | 100.5 | $61,017 | -2 |
| Denver | $60,260 | 99.4 | $60,644 | -1 |
| Minneapolis | $59,160 | 104.4 | $56,670 | +2 |
| San Francisco | $59,580 | 106.2 | $56,110 | -1 |
| Seattle | $60,290 | 111.1 | $54,250 | -5 |
| San Diego | $51,790 | 99.6 | $51,987 | — |
Top 10 of 49 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Cleveland gains 17 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Hazardous Materials Removal Workers to move from 52,700 to 53,500 over 2025–2035 — +1.5% , with about 4,300 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: high school diploma or equivalent.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers?
- The median annual salary for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers is $49,450, and the mean is $56,430 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers?
- Most Hazardous Materials Removal Workers earn between $38,460 and $82,410 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 2.14× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 2.14 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ranks #11 by nominal pay but #43 of 49 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Hazardous Materials Removal Workers employment to grow 1.5% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 4,300 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Hazardous Materials Removal Workers jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 51,710 workers in Hazardous Materials Removal Workers nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Construction and Extraction Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance $49,400
- Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall $49,120
- Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners $49,880
- Pipelayers $49,000
- Miscellaneous Construction and Related Workers $49,910
- Rock Splitters, Quarry $48,740
- Highway Maintenance Workers $50,260
- Carpet Installers $50,340
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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Raw JSON: /salaries/hazardous-materials-removal-workers-47-4041.json · License: CC BY 4.0 · Source: BLS OEWS · Cite as: Office Blues OEWS Salary Data, Hazardous Materials Removal Workers, officeblues.net/salaries/hazardous-materials-removal-workers-47-4041
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