Septic & Sewer Technicians in the Chattanooga area earn a median of $37,560 a year, 26% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #147 of 150 metros for septic & sewer technician pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Knoxville.
It's one of 4 Tennessee metros with published pay for this trade; see septic & sewer technicians across Tennessee.
Septic & Sewer Technician pay in Chattanooga at a glance
- Septic & sewer technicians in the Chattanooga, TN metro earn a median $37,560 a year ($18.06 an hour), #147 of 150 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $29,780 and $63,720.
- After local prices, that median buys what $41,065 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,231 a month, 39% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among septic & sewer technicians in Chattanooga.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for septic & sewer technicians here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the bottom 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.3%) and the population is growing faster than most (+5.3% since 2020).
Chattanooga scorecard for septic & sewer technicians Our calculation
Grades compare Chattanooga 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 Chattanooga Our calculation
Prices in Chattanooga run 9% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $41,065 would in a typical place, ranking #149 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 Chattanooga 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 Tennessee Official source
The main state licensing office in Tennessee is the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. It can point you to the right license for septic & sewer technicians.
Official Tennessee 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).
Highest-paying TN metros for septic & sewer technicians
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| MemphisTENNESSEE · TN | $42,460 | $46,063 | 80 |
| NashvilleTENNESSEE · TN | $40,520 | $42,060 | 140 |
| KnoxvilleTENNESSEE · TN | $38,740 | $41,850 | 80 |
| ChattanoogaTENNESSEE · TN | $37,560 | $41,065 | 30 |
See every metro in Tennessee.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Chattanooga area's unemployment rate was 3.3% in 2025 (all workers, not just septic & sewer technicians), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 3.9% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Chattanooga area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 11% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 76% drive alone, 0% take transit and 12% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Chattanooga area's population grew 5.3% from 2020 to 2025 (564,631 → 594,530), ranking #92 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +31,981) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Chattanooga
The Chattanooga area has about 261,589 homes. 42% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 16% were built in 2010 or later. 66% of households own their home, and the median home value is $324,500.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Chattanooga are down 19% from 2021 to 2025 (3,673 → 2,958).
In 2025 the Chattanooga area approved permits for 2,958 new homes (2,547 single-family), or 5.1 per 1,000 residents, ranking #133 of 393 metros.
Working outdoors in Chattanooga Government data
In an average year, Chattanooga has 58 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 2 at 100°F or more, 56 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 83 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 4 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 89°F and winter nights 34°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, Chattanooga Lovell Airport, TN 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 $37,560 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 Chattanooga with another city →
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ToolChattanooga budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Chattanooga 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 Chattanooga 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.