Operating Expenses

Total Operating Expenses

Waste Management Total Operating Expenses decreased by 5.4% to $5.16B in Q4 2025 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 3.7%, from $4.97B to $5.16B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Total Operating Expenses shows an upward trend with a 8.7% CAGR. This increase may warrant attention — for this metric, lower values are generally preferred.

Analysis

StatementIncome Statement
SectionOperating Expenses
CategoryEfficiency
SignalLower is better
VolatilityStable
First reportedQ4 2013
Last reportedQ4 2025

How to read this metric

Rising expenses without a corresponding rise in revenue can indicate operational bloat or aggressive expansion efforts.

Detailed definition

The sum of all costs required to run the business that are not directly tied to production, including R&D and SG&A. It r...

Peer comparison

Investors compare this to revenue to assess the 'operating leverage' of a business model.

Metric ID: is_total_operating_expenses

Historical Data

19 periods
 Q2 '21Q3 '21Q4 '21Q1 '22Q2 '22Q3 '22Q4 '22Q1 '23Q2 '23Q3 '23Q4 '23Q1 '24Q2 '24Q3 '24Q4 '24Q1 '25Q2 '25Q3 '25Q4 '25
Value$3.69B$3.86B$3.96B$3.89B$4.14B$4.13B$4.17B$4.07B$4.18B$4.18B$4.43B$4.14B$4.39B$4.49B$4.97B$5.01B$5.28B$5.45B$5.16B
QoQ Change+4.7%+2.6%-1.7%+6.3%-0.1%+0.9%-2.5%+2.7%+0.0%+6.1%-6.5%+6.0%+2.2%+10.8%+0.6%+5.5%+3.3%-5.4%
YoY Change+12.3%+7.1%+5.3%+4.5%+0.9%+1.1%+6.3%+1.9%+5.2%+7.5%+12.2%+20.8%+20.2%+21.5%+3.7%
Range$3.69B$5.45B
CAGR+7.8%
Avg YoY Growth+8.7%
Median YoY Growth+6.3%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Waste Management's total operating expenses?
Waste Management (WM) reported total operating expenses of $5.16B in Q4 2025.
How has Waste Management's total operating expenses changed year-over-year?
Waste Management's total operating expenses increased by 3.7% year-over-year, from $4.97B to $5.16B.
What is the long-term trend for Waste Management's total operating expenses?
Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Waste Management's total operating expenses has grown at a 8.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $14.97B to $20.90B.
What does total operating expenses mean?
The total cost of running the day-to-day business, excluding the direct cost of making products.