California public employers · 2026 pay · 314 people
How much does a meter reader make in California public employers?
$63,000typical pay for a meter reader in 2026
$46,988 – $76,142what most people earned
Includes everyone paid during 2026, including part-year workers. Each employer counts with its latest published year (2025 or 2026). Typical pay rose 2.4% from the same employers' year before.
✓ Official data from 4 agencies · Matches each agency's latest release · Show sourcesHide sources
- LA City Controller · controller.lacity.gov ↗
- California State Controller's Office · sco.ca.gov ↗
- California State Controller's Office · sco.ca.gov ↗
- SF Controller's Office · sf.gov ↗
Where meter readers work
Typical pay at each employer, 2026 (everyone paid).
- Los Angeles165 people$61,980
- Coachella Valley Water District16 people$68,779
- City of Anaheim10 people$73,170
- City of Redding10 people$44,757
- East Bay Municipal Utility District8 people$104,412
- Helix Water District6 people$64,391
- Santa Margarita Water District6 people$39,586
- Jurupa Community Services District5 people$91,939
- Contra Costa Water District5 people$107,697
- Vista Irrigation District5 people$63,059
- City of Vallejo5 people$55,466
- City of Porterville4 people$48,654
- City of Compton4 people$98,892
- City of Clovis4 people$77,976
- Bella Vista Water District3 people$39,850
- City of Sacramento3 people$50,014
- City of Tulare3 people$26,211
- City of Daly City3 people$79,009
- City of Coalinga3 people$31,355
- City of Santa Clara3 people$96,558
- City of Palo Alto2 people$103,056
- City of Sunnyvale2 people$99,068
- City of Lodi2 people$5,831
- City of Hanford2 people$56,865
- Marina Coast Water District2 people$85,828
- Yorba Linda Water District2 people$69,267
- Amador Water Agency2 people$57,313
- Reclamation District No. 10042 people$16,326
- South Feather Water and Power Agency2 people$94,215
- City of Manteca2 people$43,055
- East Niles Community Services District2 people$65,718
- City of Willits1 person$56,577
- Rubidoux Community Services District1 person$95,876
- San Francisco1 person$100,982
- Solano Irrigation District1 person$86,246
- San Lucas County Water District1 person$2,988
- City of Roseville1 person$14,532
- West Kern Water District1 person$60,227
- Garberville Sanitary District (Humboldt)1 person$200
- Orange County Water District1 person$69,004
- Sonoma Mountain County Water District1 person$125
- City of Hesperia1 person$35,724
- Lake Hemet Municipal Water District1 person$72,108
- City of Shasta Lake1 person$37,885
- Alpaugh Community Services District1 person$26,208
- Desert Lake Community Services District1 person$1,575
- Patterson Tract Community Service District1 person$4,050
- City of Dinuba1 person$50,672
- Merced Irrigation District1 person$79,129
- Loleta Community Services District1 person$2,030
- City of Vernon1 person$25,926
- Alameda County Water District1 person$37,689
No employers match.
Pay by level
Levels with 5 or more people.
- Meter Reader274 people$60,698
- Meter Reader I21 people$67,312
- Meter Reader II14 people$89,176
Related jobs and the next step up
Same line of work at a different rank, by typical pay (full-year employees where we can tell).
- Meter Reader (this page)$63,000 (everyone)
- Senior Meter Reader$99,008 (everyone)
Highest-paid meter readers, 2026
- 1Anthony OrtizMeter Reader · Los Angeles$118,650
- 2Jorge NavarroMeter Reader · Los Angeles$118,073
- 3Jeffrey WarnickMeter Reader · Los Angeles$109,381
- 4Martin BrooksMeter Reader · Los Angeles$108,780
- 5Luis MarquezMeter Reader · Los Angeles$107,916
Common questions
How much does a meter reader make in California public employers?
The typical meter reader was paid $63,000 in 2026; most earned between $46,988 and $76,142. This counts all 314 people paid, including part-year workers.
How much of the pay is overtime?
Overtime made up 14.9% of all pay for meter readers in 2026.
Which job titles are included?
Everyone whose payroll title is Meter Reader, at any level (for example "Meter Reader"). Part-time-schedule titles (such as "20 hours") are left out. Senior, supervising and trainee titles have their own pages.
Job titles are written out in full from the payroll's abbreviations (for example "SR CRRECTNL POLC OFCR" → "Senior Correctional Police Officer"). "Typical pay" is the median; "most earned" is the middle half. How we calculate this