Average Pay

• Junk haulers fall into the larger "Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors" group with the bureau. Those in this group earned an average of $16.50 per hour. Under a standard 40-hour work week, or 2,080 hours per year, this converts to an annual salary of $34,310.
  
  

Range

• Junk haulers earned $9.00 hourly in the lowest 10th percentile in May 2010, as the BLS reports. In the 25th percentile, compensation was $11.67 per hour. The median hourly pay was $15.69, while the rate in the 75th percentile was $20.18 per hour. In the 90th percentile, junk haulers earned $25.75 per hour. Translated into annual salaries, this provides a range of $18,730 to $53,560 per year. Those who are self-employed in a private hauling business may charge more and have better control over their clients, but they have to cover their own benefits. Where a hauler falls on the range depends to some degree on the waste management system in place in the area where the hauler is employed. The more people there are and the less efficient the system is, the more work and time hauling the hauler may get.
  
  

Regional Compensation

• Junk haulers earned the highest compensation, $49,600 per year, in New York in May 2010, says the BLS. In Washington, pay was $45,640 per year, while those in Illinois made $43,140 annually. Pay in California and Alaska was $41,950 and $41,620 annually, respectively. Junk haulers earned the least in Puerto Rico, where pay averaged $17,000 per year. In Guam, junk haulers made $21,220 per year. Compensation in West Virginia was $22,740 annually. In South Dakota and Mississippi, junk haulers earned $23,570 and $24,340 per year, respectively.
  
  

Sector Pay

• Junk haulers earned the most in May 2010 working for the post office or state and local governments, according to the BLS. Compensation in these sectors was $51,110, $39,810 and $34,650 per year, respectively. In waste treatment and disposal, compensation averaged $37,980 per year, while other support services paid $34,020 annually. The yearly rate in waste collection was $33,660 per year, while junk haulers made $31,190 annually in remediation and other waste management services. The miscellaneous durable goods merchant wholesaler industry paid junk haulers $29,420 per year, while employment services provided $26,860 per year.