The finding
This restoration wage report ranks pay for hazardous materials removal workers in every US state from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics file for May 2025. In that BLS file the mean annual wage runs from $71,910 in New York down to $31,960 in Puerto Rico, a spread of 2.2 times. The employment-weighted national mean computed here across 51 reporting jurisdictions is $56,356, and 14 of 52 jurisdictions sit above it.
Headline figures
In this report
- What the occupation code actually covers
- Mean wage, every state ranked
- Wage premium and discount against the national mean
- Where the workforce is concentrated
- The two rankings do not match
- Mean against median: the skew by state
- Method
- Reproduce this
- What this does not show
- Questions this report answers
- Sources
Key findings
- BLS OEWS data for May 2025 puts the mean annual wage for SOC 47-4041 between $71,910 in New York and $31,960 in Puerto Rico, a spread of 2.2 times.
- The employment-weighted national mean across the BLS May 2025 state series is $56,356, while the unweighted average of the 52 jurisdiction means in the same BLS file is $53,425. The weighted figure is higher because the highest-paying states also employ more workers.
- California employs the most workers in the BLS May 2025 file at 7,340, which is 14.2% of the 51,850 workers BLS records nationally.
- Washington has the highest workforce density at 40.8 workers per 100,000 residents in May 2025, against a national figure of 15.1 derived from BLS employment and Census Bureau population.
- Only 4 of the top 12 states by mean wage also appear in the top 12 by workers per 100,000 residents in the May 2025 BLS file (ID, NJ, NY, WA). High pay and a dense workforce are largely different maps.
- In the May 2025 BLS file, 14 of 52 jurisdictions pay above the national mean, so the median jurisdiction sits below the weighted national average.
- The BLS definition of SOC 47-4041 includes cleaning mould-contaminated sites alongside asbestos and lead, and there is no separate occupation code for a restoration technician. Every figure in this report is therefore broader than restoration alone.
What the occupation code actually covers
SOC 47-4041 is Hazardous Materials Removal Workers. The BLS occupational definition for 47-4041 describes the occupation as identifying, removing, packing, transporting or disposing of hazardous materials, and it names asbestos, lead-based paint, waste oil, fuel, transmission fluid and radioactive materials. The same definition explicitly includes cleaning mould-contaminated sites.
That last clause is why this file is worth publishing for a restoration audience, and it is also the report’s main limitation. There is no separate SOC code for a restoration technician, a water damage technician or a fire and smoke restoration technician. BLS does not count them as an occupation. A technician who extracts water, sets air movers and demolishes wet drywall may be coded here, or in a construction labourer code, or in a building cleaning code, depending on how the employer classifies the job.
So read every wage below as the pay for the abatement and contaminated-site side of the trade, which overlaps restoration without being the same thing. It is the closest official wage series that exists, and stating the mismatch is more useful than quietly relabelling the series as restoration pay.
Mean wage, every state ranked
| Rank | State | Employment | Mean annual wage | Median annual wage | Ratio to national mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 4,090 | $71,910 | $73,090 | 1.28x |
| 2 | Washington | 3,250 | $67,890 | $60,160 | 1.20x |
| 3 | Alaska | 140 | $67,850 | $60,320 | 1.20x |
| 4 | Idaho | 600 | $67,320 | $49,710 | 1.19x |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 140 | $66,500 | $55,310 | 1.18x |
| 6 | Illinois | 1,980 | $65,490 | $61,330 | 1.16x |
| 7 | New Jersey | 2,250 | $64,790 | $55,900 | 1.15x |
| 8 | Minnesota | 730 | $64,410 | $59,100 | 1.14x |
| 9 | District of Columbia | 50 | $64,090 | $60,240 | 1.14x |
| 10 | Tennessee | 570 | $63,480 | $60,090 | 1.13x |
| 11 | California | 7,340 | $60,750 | $56,120 | 1.08x |
| 12 | South Carolina | 870 | $59,420 | $49,170 | 1.05x |
| 13 | Hawaii | 340 | $59,120 | $58,440 | 1.05x |
| 14 | Colorado | 1,400 | $58,230 | $59,920 | 1.03x |
| 15 | New Mexico | 680 | $55,550 | $53,440 | 0.99x |
| 16 | Maine | 190 | $55,330 | $47,280 | 0.98x |
| 17 | Missouri | 370 | $54,990 | $59,120 | 0.98x |
| 18 | North Dakota | 170 | $54,970 | $60,160 | 0.98x |
| 19 | Montana | 250 | $54,660 | $54,540 | 0.97x |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 590 | $53,410 | $47,750 | 0.95x |
| 21 | Utah | 530 | $53,340 | $49,240 | 0.95x |
| 22 | Rhode Island | 330 | $53,300 | $46,670 | 0.95x |
| 23 | Oregon | 1,130 | $53,230 | $49,720 | 0.94x |
| 24 | Maryland | 660 | $53,210 | $48,640 | 0.94x |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | 1,590 | $53,140 | $47,860 | 0.94x |
| 26 | Massachusetts | 2,770 | $52,820 | $49,620 | 0.94x |
| 27 | South Dakota | 190 | $52,210 | $51,420 | 0.93x |
| 28 | Kentucky | 460 | $51,980 | $47,640 | 0.92x |
| 29 | Wyoming | 30 | $51,590 | $48,570 | 0.92x |
| 30 | Connecticut | 750 | $50,740 | $47,090 | 0.90x |
| 31 | Iowa | 270 | $50,630 | $49,870 | 0.90x |
| 32 | Ohio | 830 | $50,610 | $46,620 | 0.90x |
| 33 | Georgia | 460 | $50,130 | $48,960 | 0.89x |
| 34 | Indiana | 990 | $50,130 | $46,680 | 0.89x |
| 35 | Nevada | 400 | $50,120 | $47,520 | 0.89x |
| 36 | West Virginia | 130 | $50,030 | $46,390 | 0.89x |
| 37 | Vermont | 70 | $49,460 | $46,780 | 0.88x |
| 38 | Michigan | 1,610 | $49,390 | $46,380 | 0.88x |
| 39 | Nebraska | 210 | $49,290 | $48,540 | 0.87x |
| 40 | Arizona | 800 | $49,090 | $50,530 | 0.87x |
| 41 | Texas | 4,450 | $47,590 | $44,390 | 0.84x |
| 42 | Virginia | 930 | $47,150 | $45,320 | 0.84x |
| 43 | Arkansas | 440 | $47,100 | $36,630 | 0.84x |
| 44 | Kansas | 480 | $45,710 | $45,530 | 0.81x |
| 45 | Florida | 1,780 | $45,130 | $42,350 | 0.80x |
| 46 | North Carolina | 1,250 | $45,090 | $43,180 | 0.80x |
| 47 | Oklahoma | 650 | $44,130 | $44,300 | 0.78x |
| 48 | Alabama | 350 | $43,820 | $38,610 | 0.78x |
| 49 | Delaware | Not published | $43,720 | $44,250 | 0.78x |
| 50 | Mississippi | 250 | $41,280 | $39,440 | 0.73x |
| 51 | Louisiana | 880 | $40,830 | $38,000 | 0.72x |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | 180 | $31,960 | $28,220 | 0.57x |
Wage premium and discount against the national mean
The premium column below is the derived figure most people want. It expresses each jurisdiction’s mean wage as a percentage above or below the employment-weighted national mean of $56,356 derived from the BLS May 2025 state series. A contractor pricing labour into a bid, or a technician weighing a move, needs the gap rather than the raw number.
| State | Mean annual wage | Premium or discount | Mean hourly wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $71,910 | +27.6% | $34.57 |
| Washington | $67,890 | +20.5% | $32.64 |
| Alaska | $67,850 | +20.4% | $32.62 |
| Idaho | $67,320 | +19.5% | $32.36 |
| New Hampshire | $66,500 | +18.0% | $31.97 |
| Illinois | $65,490 | +16.2% | $31.49 |
| New Jersey | $64,790 | +15.0% | $31.15 |
| Minnesota | $64,410 | +14.3% | $30.97 |
| District of Columbia | $64,090 | +13.7% | $30.81 |
| Tennessee | $63,480 | +12.6% | $30.52 |
| State | Mean annual wage | Premium or discount | Mean hourly wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | $47,100 | -16.4% | $22.64 |
| Kansas | $45,710 | -18.9% | $21.98 |
| Florida | $45,130 | -19.9% | $21.70 |
| North Carolina | $45,090 | -20.0% | $21.68 |
| Oklahoma | $44,130 | -21.7% | $21.22 |
| Alabama | $43,820 | -22.2% | $21.07 |
| Delaware | $43,720 | -22.4% | $21.02 |
| Mississippi | $41,280 | -26.8% | $19.85 |
| Louisiana | $40,830 | -27.6% | $19.63 |
| Puerto Rico | $31,960 | -43.3% | $15.37 |
Against that BLS-derived national mean, New York pays +27.6% and Puerto Rico pays -43.3%. Neither figure is adjusted for the cost of living, so the real gap in purchasing power is narrower than the nominal gap.
Where the workforce is concentrated
Raw employment counts tell you where the most workers are, which is mostly where the most people are. Dividing by population gives a better read on where this trade is genuinely dense. The figures below use 2025 US Census Bureau state population estimates. Our remediation establishment census counts the firms that employ them, state by state.
| Rank | State | Employment | Workers per 100,000 residents | Mean annual wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 3,250 | 40.8 | $67,890 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 2,770 | 38.8 | $52,820 |
| 3 | New Mexico | 680 | 31.9 | $55,550 |
| 4 | Idaho | 600 | 30.0 | $67,320 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | 330 | 29.7 | $53,300 |
| 6 | Oregon | 1,130 | 26.4 | $53,230 |
| 7 | New Jersey | 2,250 | 23.7 | $64,790 |
| 8 | Hawaii | 340 | 23.5 | $59,120 |
| 9 | Colorado | 1,400 | 23.5 | $58,230 |
| 10 | Montana | 250 | 22.0 | $54,660 |
| 11 | North Dakota | 170 | 21.3 | $54,970 |
| 12 | New York | 4,090 | 20.6 | $71,910 |
| 13 | South Dakota | 190 | 20.5 | $52,210 |
| 14 | Connecticut | 750 | 20.4 | $50,740 |
| 15 | Louisiana | 880 | 19.1 | $40,830 |
| 16 | Alaska | 140 | 18.9 | $67,850 |
| 17 | California | 7,340 | 18.6 | $60,750 |
| 18 | Kansas | 480 | 16.2 | $45,710 |
| 19 | South Carolina | 870 | 15.9 | $59,420 |
| 20 | Michigan | 1,610 | 15.9 | $49,390 |
The two rankings do not match
Comparing the two charts above is the part worth keeping. Across the BLS May 2025 series, of the twelve highest-paying jurisdictions only 4 also rank in the twelve densest by workers per 100,000 residents: ID, NJ, NY, WA.
| Category | Jurisdictions | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| High pay and high density | ID, NJ, NY, WA | Established abatement markets with both a deep workforce and the wage level to keep it. |
| High pay, lower density | AK, CA, DC, IL, MN, NH, SC, TN | Pay is high but the workforce is thin relative to population, which often means scarcity pricing rather than a mature market. |
| High density, lower pay | CO, HI, MA, MT, ND, NM, OR, RI | A deep local labour pool without a matching wage premium, which points to competitive bidding and tighter crew margins. |
The practical reading for anyone hiring is that a high state mean does not imply available people. In the BLS May 2025 data, AK, CA, DC, IL pay near the top of the national range while carrying a workforce that is thin against population. Crews there are more likely to be booked out, and pay is the signal of that scarcity rather than the result of a large sector. Our restoration capacity index sets disaster load against the firms and workers each state already has.
Mean against median: the skew by state
Where the mean sits well above the median, a minority of high earners is pulling the average up, usually supervisors, workers holding asbestos and lead licences, and union shops. Where the two are close, pay is flat across the workforce. The spread is a better guide to what a new hire will actually be offered than the mean. Our asbestos accreditation map shows which agency issues those asbestos credentials in each state.
| State | Mean annual wage | Median annual wage | Mean above median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | $67,320 | $49,710 | $17,610 |
| New Hampshire | $66,500 | $55,310 | $11,190 |
| Arkansas | $47,100 | $36,630 | $10,470 |
| South Carolina | $59,420 | $49,170 | $10,250 |
| New Jersey | $64,790 | $55,900 | $8,890 |
| Maine | $55,330 | $47,280 | $8,050 |
| Washington | $67,890 | $60,160 | $7,730 |
| Alaska | $67,850 | $60,320 | $7,530 |
| Rhode Island | $53,300 | $46,670 | $6,630 |
| Wisconsin | $53,410 | $47,750 | $5,660 |
| Minnesota | $64,410 | $59,100 | $5,310 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,140 | $47,860 | $5,280 |
Across the 52 jurisdiction medians BLS published for May 2025, the national median is $48,605, which is 13.8% below the weighted national mean of $56,356. Pay in this occupation is right-skewed nationally, not only in individual states.
Method
How we counted. We retrieved the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics series for SOC 47-4041, Hazardous Materials Removal Workers, for every state FIPS code from the BLS public API on 2 October 2026, covering employment (datatype 01), mean annual wage (04), median annual wage (13) and mean hourly wage (03). The file returned is May 2025. The retrieved series carry no national row, so the national mean reported here is computed as an employment-weighted average of the 51 jurisdiction means, covering 51,850 workers. The premium column is each jurisdiction’s mean divided by that national mean, minus one. Workers per 100,000 residents divides published employment by US Census Bureau Vintage 2025 state population estimates. Employment is suppressed for DE, which is excluded from the weighted mean and the density ranking but retained in the wage table. No inflation or cost-of-living adjustment is applied.
Reproduce this
Reproduce this
- Endpoint
https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/- Query
seriesid OEUS{fips}00000000000474041{datatype}, datatypes 01 employment / 04 mean annual / 13 median annual- Rows retrieved
- 208 series returned
- Retrieved
- 2 October 2026
A registered BLS API key raises the request limit but the series are also browsable without one at bls.gov/oes/current/oes474041.htm. The state FIPS code occupies positions 5 and 6 of the series ID and the trailing two digits select the data type. Re-running after the next OEWS release will return a later reference period.
What this does not show
What this does not show
- The occupation is broader than restoration. SOC 47-4041 covers asbestos, lead, radioactive material and fuel handling as well as mould-contaminated site cleaning. No official occupation code isolates restoration technicians, so these wages describe an overlapping trade rather than restoration itself.
- OEWS is a survey of employers, not of workers. It samples establishment payrolls. Self-employed owner-operators and subcontracted sole traders are excluded entirely, which matters in a sector with many small firms.
- These are wages, not employer cost. The figures exclude payroll taxes, workers compensation premiums, which are high for abatement work, training, respirator fit testing, insurance and overheads. Loaded labour cost is materially above the numbers here.
- State means hide metropolitan spread. A single state figure averages dense urban abatement markets with rural areas, and OEWS publishes metropolitan detail that this report does not use.
- No cost-of-living adjustment. The premium column compares nominal dollars, so a high-premium state does not necessarily leave a worker better off.
- Employment is suppressed in some jurisdictions. BLS does not publish an employment figure for DE, usually for disclosure reasons, so those are absent from the density ranking.
Most quotable figures
- Mean annual pay for hazardous materials removal workers ranges from $71,910 in New York to $31,960 in Puerto Rico, a 2.2 times spread (BLS OEWS, SOC 47-4041, May 2025).
- The employment-weighted national mean for SOC 47-4041 is $56,356 across 51,850 workers in 51 jurisdictions (computed from BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Washington carries 40.8 hazardous materials removal workers per 100,000 residents, the densest workforce in the country (BLS OEWS employment, Census Bureau 2025 population).
- Only 4 of the twelve highest-paying states also rank in the twelve densest by workers per capita, so high pay and a deep labour pool are largely separate maps (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Questions this report answers
What is the average restoration wage in the United States?
There is no official restoration wage series. The closest is BLS SOC 47-4041, Hazardous Materials Removal Workers, whose definition includes cleaning mould-contaminated sites. The employment-weighted national mean computed from the May 2025 file is $56,356 a year.
Which state pays hazardous materials removal workers the most?
New York, at a mean annual wage of $71,910 in the BLS OEWS May 2025 file. That is +27.6% against the computed national mean.
Which state pays the least?
Puerto Rico, at $31,960, which is -43.3% against the national mean. No cost-of-living adjustment is applied.
Is there a BLS occupation code for restoration technicians?
No. BLS publishes no occupation code for a water damage, fire or general restoration technician. Those workers appear across hazardous materials removal, construction labourer and building cleaning codes depending on employer classification, which is why any single wage figure for the trade is an approximation.
How many people work in this occupation?
51,850 across the 51 jurisdictions that publish an employment figure in the BLS OEWS May 2025 file. California alone accounts for 14.2%.
Does a high state wage mean crews are available there?
Not reliably. Only 4 of the twelve highest-paying jurisdictions also rank in the twelve densest by workers per 100,000 residents. A high mean often reflects scarcity rather than a large local workforce.
Can I reuse these tables?
Yes. The tables and derived figures are released under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Remediation Insider. The underlying wage data is public and published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
How to cite
Remediation Insider. The Restoration Wage Report: Hazmat Removal Pay in All 50 States. https://remediationinsider.com/restoration-wage-report/ (retrieved 2 October 2026).
Data and tables in this report are released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Remediation Insider.
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, SOC 47-4041. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates. Employment, mean annual, median annual and mean hourly wage series for all state FIPS codes, retrieved 2 October 2026.
- BLS Public Data API, version 2 signature.
- US Census Bureau. Vintage 2025 state resident population estimates, used only to compute workers per 100,000 residents.
- The national mean of $56,356 is derived, not published. It is an employment-weighted average of the 51 jurisdiction means in the retrieved file.
- No survey, interview or site visit was conducted for this report. We retrieved the public BLS series and computed every derived figure from the retrieved file.