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The national median salary for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers is $49,462 per year ($23.78/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $44,720 and $61,526 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $82,410 per year. There are approximately 51,710 hazardous materials removal workers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Identify, remove, pack, transport, or dispose of hazardous materials, including asbestos, lead-based paint, waste oil, fuel, transmission fluid, radioactive materials, or contaminated soil. Specialized training and certification in hazardous materials handling or a confined entry permit are generally required. May operate earth-moving equipment or trucks.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+1.0%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
5K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
51K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
1% from new growth99% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services
NAICS 562900
32K
$48,900
Waste Treatment and Disposal
NAICS 562200
7K
$48,650
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
2K
$47,890
Residential Building Construction
NAICS 236100
2K
$48,670
Waste Collection
NAICS 562100
1K
$49,230
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$18.49
$38,459
P25
$21.50
$44,720
P50MEDIAN
$23.78
$49,462
P75
$29.58
$61,526
P90
$39.62
$82,410
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average hazardous materials removal workers salary?
The national median salary for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers is $49,462 per year ($23.78/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $44,720 and $61,526 annually.
How much do top-earning hazardous materials removal workers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers is $82,410 per year ($39.62/hr). The 75th percentile is $61,526 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for hazardous materials removal workers?
Entry-level Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (10th percentile) earn approximately $38,459 per year ($18.49/hr). The 25th percentile is $44,720 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.