Septic & Sewer Technicians in the Portland area earn a median of $50,540 a year, 1% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #79 of 150 metros for septic & sewer technician pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Manchester and Boston, but less in Worcester.
It's the only Maine metro with published pay for this trade; see septic & sewer technician pay in Maine, including rural areas.
Septic & Sewer Technician pay in Portland at a glance
- Septic & sewer technicians in the Portland, ME metro earn a median $50,540 a year ($24.30 an hour), #79 of 150 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $38,150 and $63,090.
- After local prices, that median buys what $49,618 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,705 a month, 40% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among septic & sewer technicians in Portland.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for septic & sewer technicians here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (2.8%) and the population is growing faster than most (+4.5% since 2020).
Portland scorecard for septic & sewer technicians Our calculation
Grades compare Portland with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($50,990).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Portland Our calculation
Prices in the Portland area run 2% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $49,618 would in a typical place, ranking #97 of 150 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a monthly budget for Portland from this pay, local rent and prices.
What septic & sewer technicians 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.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Communicate with supervisors and other workers, using equipment such as wireless phones, pagers, or radio telephones.
- Drive trucks to transport crews, materials, and equipment.
- Inspect manholes to locate sewer line stoppages.
- Operate sewer cleaning equipment, including power rodders, high-velocity water jets, sewer flushers, bucket machines, wayne balls, and vac-alls.
- Prepare and keep records of actions taken, including maintenance and repair work.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, septic & sewer technician jobs are projected to grow 7.8% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 2,800 openings a year. About 3% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often septic & sewer technicians deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Maine Official source
The main state licensing office in Maine is the Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation. The state licenses electricians and plumbers; no statewide general contractor license. It can point you to the right license for septic & sewer technicians.
Official Maine licensing site ↗
Requirements for septic & sewer technicians vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, septic & sewer technicians have 162 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.9× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Portland area's unemployment rate was 2.8% in 2025 (all workers, not just septic & sewer technicians), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.1% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Portland area is 27 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 15% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 68% drive alone, 1% take transit and 18% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Portland area's population grew 4.5% from 2020 to 2025 (552,591 → 577,635), ranking #110 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +29,819) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Portland
The Portland area has about 294,137 homes. 50% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 12% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 72% of households own their home, and the median home value is $474,200.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Portland are down 6% from 2021 to 2025 (3,712 → 3,487).
In 2025 the Portland area approved permits for 3,487 new homes (1,945 single-family), or 6.2 per 1,000 residents, ranking #102 of 393 metros.
Working outdoors in Portland Government data
In an average year, Portland has 5 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 144 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 80 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 69 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 77°F and winter nights 18°F. That matters for septic & sewer technicians: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Portland International Jetport, ME station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $50,540 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get septic & sewer technician pricing & estimate templates →Compare Portland with another city →
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ToolBest cities for septic & sewer techniciansRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in PortlandSee where it falls among local septic & sewer technicians, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolPortland budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Portland metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Portland against every other metro for septic & sewer technicians. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.
Report a data issue on this page
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for septic & sewer technicians as a separate industry, so that section is left out.