SOC 53-7081 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors — Phoenix
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ · 4 metro areas compared
The median wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Phoenix, AZ is $47,460 per year, close to the national median of $49,690 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow more slowly than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +0.9%
- Openings per year
- 16,900
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Phoenix, AZ is $47,460 per year, close to the national median of $49,690 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $33,860 at the tenth percentile to more than $77,430 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $35,620 to $60,420.
The area has 1,780 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.7 of every thousand jobs. Prescott Valley leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $46,400. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 478th of 647 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $33,860 | −31.9% |
| 25th | $35,620 | −28.3% |
| Median (50th) | $47,460 | −4.5% |
| 75th | $60,420 | +21.6% |
| 90th | $77,430 | +55.8% |
| Mean | $49,520 | −0.3% |
Other metro areas in Arizona
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prescott Valley | $46,400 | 60 | |
| 2 | Lake Havasu City | $46,160 | 30 | |
| 3 | Tucson | $38,630 | 190 | |
| 4 | Sierra Vista | $37,320 | 40 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Phoenix run 3.3% above the national average, so the median of $47,460 buys what $45,944 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 7.5% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$47,460as reported by BLSLocal price level
103.3US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$45,944US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $47,460 a year, 4.5% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $33,860 to $77,430 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 1,780 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Prescott Valley, at $46,400.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Phoenix, AZ?
The median annual wage is $47,460, or $22.82 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $49,690, so pay in Phoenix, AZ is 4.5% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Phoenix, AZ earns more than $77,430 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $33,860 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Prescott Valley, at $46,400 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 1,780 jobs in this occupation in Phoenix, AZ. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
Explore related data