Machinists Salary: $61,610 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 298,790 machinists nationally earn a mean of $61,610. Employment in the series shown rose about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.0% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Machinists: what the data shows
Common questions about machinists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a machinists?
Machinists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-4041.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 298,790 workers.
What does a machinists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Controlling Machines and Processes, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a machinists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $56,150 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $61,610 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,315 |
| 25th percentile | $45,933 |
| Median (50th) | $57,680 |
| 75th percentile | $74,496 |
| 90th percentile | $88,295 |
What education do you need?
For Machinists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, and knowledge areas including Mathematics, Mechanical, Production and Processing, Design. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is machinists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -14.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -26.6%.
Current U.S. headcount: 298,790.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do machinistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 298,790 | 18.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 293,930 | 18.5% |
| Manufacturing | 249,790 | 15.7% |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 101,480 | 6.4% |
| Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 73,870 | 4.7% |
| Machine Shops | 63,310 | 4.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Machinists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Tool and Die Makers | 55,130 | $63,180 |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 424,040 | $51,000 |
| Sheet Metal Workers | 117,470 | $60,850 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Machinists workforce.
Employment Over Time
298,790 Workforce in 2023
The Machinists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Machinists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$61,610 Average Wage
In 2023, Machinists earned an average of $61,610.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Machinists.
Salary distribution for Machinists.
Employment Growth Projections
-3.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
72,415 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -14.3%
62,045 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -26.6%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Machinists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Machinists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Machinists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Machinists.
Wage Trends by Industry
1.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Machinists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Machinists.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 20,290 employees, $61,233 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Machinists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 5,630 employees, $57,153 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 3,190 employees, $55,702 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 2,430 employees, $66,104 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,960 employees, $55,351 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 1,830 employees, $72,341 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,560 employees, $71,992 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 610 employees, $61,097 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 590 employees, $56,706 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 390 employees, $87,516 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 370 employees, $53,443 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Machinists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Machinists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Machinists in 2023 was 298,790 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Machinists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Machinists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Machinists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Machinists in 2023 were Engineering, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Machinists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Machinists workers.
Education level distribution for Machinists.
Skills
Machinists need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Active Listening.
Required skills for Machinists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Machinists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Machinists include Mathematics, Mechanical, Production and Processing, Design, Engineering and Technology.
Knowledge areas required for Machinists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Machinists include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Finger Dexterity, Control Precision, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Machinists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Machinists.
Daily Activities
Machinists spend their time on activities such as Controlling Machines and Processes, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.
Most important work activities for Machinists.
About
Machinists
The average yearly wage for Machinists was $61,610 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-4041 - Machinists
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Machinists reports an average salary of $61,610.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 298,790 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -3.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.