Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners

Median salary

$49,880

Average salary

$53,500

Employment

30,650

Projected growth

7.6% growth

Annual openings

2,900

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners Do

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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 2.8%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.9/5
Transportationimportance 3.5/5
Mechanicalimportance 3.5/5
English Languageimportance 3.4/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.4/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.2/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.0/5
Education and Trainingimportance 2.8/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions5.0/5
Telephone Conversations4.7/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
Contact With Others4.6/5
Exposed to Contaminants4.5/5
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.5/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers94% skill match
Automotive Body and Related Repairers93% skill match
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders93% skill match
Roof Bolters, Mining93% skill match
Tire Repairers and Changers93% skill match
Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas92% skill match
Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers91% skill match
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators91% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Operation and Controlimportance 3.9/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.6/5
Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.0/5
Troubleshootingimportance 3.0/5
Repairingimportance 3.0/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.0/5
Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
Coordinationimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Cautiousness
Attention to Detail
Perseverance
Stress Tolerance
Self-Control
Integrity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeLow
SocialLow
EnterprisingLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).