Agency file

Dpw-Water-Howard

Source file: City of Milwaukee — Employee Salaries / ingested Jun 19, 2026

The Dpw-Water-Howard operates public utilities and infrastructure such as water, power, sanitation, or energy services.

In 2025, this agency had 38 employees with median total compensation of $96,064; the highest distinct record was $139,175.

Year: 2025
Total payroll: $3.5M
Employees: 38
Median total: $96,064
Highest record: $139,175

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$20,350$134,268+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 38 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($96,064) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $0 (0%)
Overtime — $1,630 (2%)
Other — $90,513 (98%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$62,953

$79,024

$96,064

$108,210

$116,153

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $116,153 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $62,953. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Water Treatment Plant Oper 3

7 · $108,203

Water Treatment Plant Oper 2

5 · $92,143

Water Treatment Plant Oper 1

5 · $78,649

Water Plant Automa Cntrl Engineer

4 · $94,412

Water Plant Automa Technician Senior

3 · $85,854

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 7 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2019	$2.6M —	44 —	$63,438 —
2020	$2.6M ▼ 2.1%	43 ▼ 2.3%	$65,061 ▲ 2.6%
2021	$2.9M ▲ 12.4%	43 ±0%	$73,459 ▲ 12.9%
2022	$2.3M ▼ 20.2%	34 ▼ 20.9%	$72,191 ▼ 1.7%
2023	$2.6M ▲ 10.1%	39 ▲ 14.7%	$74,768 ▲ 3.6%
2024	$3.6M ▲ 40.7%	42 ▲ 7.7%	$93,971 ▲ 25.7%
2025	$3.5M ▼ 2.5%	38 ▼ 9.5%	$96,064 ▲ 2.2%

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Kevin Patterson

Senior Water Treatmnt Plnt Operator/Dpw-Water-Howard

2023 total comp

$38,956

Base pay: $0
Overtime: $6,843
Other pay: $32,113
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $38,956
Hourly rate: $30
Employment type: Full-Time

Source-specific fields

Agency Code: 6416
Comp Time: 0
Job Code: 1245DC
Termination Date: May 25, 2023
Vacation Payout: $1,660

Kevin Patterson holds the role of Senior Water Treatmnt Plnt Operator at Dpw-Water-Howard. Their status is full-time. In 2023, their total compensation was $38,956.

Thomas Matthews

Water Plant Laborer/Dpw-Water-Howard

2021 total comp

$36,419

Base pay: $0
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $36,419
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $36,419
Hourly rate: $19
Employment type: Full-Time

Source-specific fields

Agency Code: 6416
Comp Time: 0
Job Code: 1038DC

Thomas Matthews is a Water Plant Laborer at Dpw-Water-Howard. They work full-time. 2021 total compensation came to $36,419.

Nelson Mael

Water Treatment Plant Oper 1/Dpw-Water-Howard

2024 total comp

$35,189

Base pay: $0
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $35,189
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $35,189
Hourly rate: $35
Employment type: Full-Time

Source-specific fields

Agency Code: 6416
Comp Time: 0.00
Job Code: 0976DC
Termination Date: Jun 7, 2024

At Dpw-Water-Howard, Nelson Mael serves as a Water Treatment Plant Oper 1. They work full-time. Their 2024 pay totaled $35,189.