5621/Waste Collection
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
263K
employees, 2023
263K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 13,064 US Waste Collection business locations employed 263,050 people and paid $18.5 billion in annual payroll, $70,444 per employee on average. Employment was up 5.6% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
13,064
+2.9% vs 2022
Employees
263,050
+5.6% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$18.5B
+10.2% vs 2022
Average pay
$70,444
+4.3% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Waste Collection in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,166 | 32,039 | $84,397 | 0.20% |
| Florida | 750 | 24,451 | $57,826 | 0.24% |
| Texas | 963 | 21,664 | $70,509 | 0.18% |
| Pennsylvania | 616 | 13,457 | $66,356 | 0.24% |
| New York | 684 | 11,348 | $70,272 | 0.13% |
| Illinois | 453 | 9,643 | $88,555 | 0.17% |
| Ohio | 487 | 9,612 | $65,023 | 0.19% |
| New Jersey | 374 | 8,548 | $77,871 | 0.22% |
| Michigan | 366 | 8,102 | $72,366 | 0.20% |
| North Carolina | 467 | 8,061 | $60,021 | 0.19% |
| Georgia | 440 | 7,221 | $63,928 | 0.16% |
| Indiana | 294 | 7,152 | $72,771 | 0.24% |
| Massachusetts | 310 | 7,006 | $81,147 | 0.20% |
| Washington | 259 | 5,783 | $81,330 | 0.19% |
| Arizona | 244 | 5,529 | $67,262 | 0.19% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Waste Collection employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 636 | 11,792 | $77,462 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 345 | 10,807 | $82,037 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 307 | 8,093 | $94,658 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 241 | 6,262 | $66,132 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 249 | 6,031 | $82,323 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 160 | 5,414 | $101,252 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 178 | 5,172 | $91,731 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 192 | 4,952 | $69,618 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 238 | 4,417 | $73,492 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 219 | 4,319 | $83,091 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 164 | 4,300 | $69,218 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 278 | 3,884 | $67,860 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 161 | 3,669 | $78,933 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 138 | 3,263 | $87,913 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 152 | 3,112 | $77,485 |
Business size
US Waste Collection business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 5,965 | 45.7% |
| 5 to 9 | 2,327 | 17.8% |
| 10 to 19 | 1,847 | 14.1% |
| 20 to 49 | 1,685 | 12.9% |
| 50 to 99 | 719 | 5.5% |
| 100 to 249 | 431 | 3.3% |
| 250 to 499 | 76 | 0.6% |
| 500 to 999 | 9 | 0.1% |
| 1,000 or more | 5 | 0.0% |
Related industries
Waste Collection and the 1 industry directly below it
Part of Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 56Waste Management and Remediation Services 562
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56211 | Waste Collection | 263,050 | $70,444 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Waste Collection in the US?
263,050 people worked at 13,064 US Waste Collection business locations in 2023, up 5.6% from 2022. That is 0.19% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Waste Collection?
$70,444 a year per employee in 2023, from $18.5 billion in annual payroll (up 4.3% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Waste Collection jobs?
California had the most, with 32,039 employees in 2023, followed by Florida (24,451) and Texas (21,664).
Which metro areas have the most Waste Collection jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (11,792), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (10,807), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (8,093) had the most Waste Collection employees in 2023.
Are most Waste Collection businesses small?
77.6% of the 13,064 Waste Collection business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 14 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.