Millwrights Salary: $86,460 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 40,660 millwrights nationally earn a mean of $86,460. Employment in the series shown rose about 65% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.9% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Millwrights: what the data shows
Common questions about millwrights careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a millwrights?
Millwrights is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 49-9044.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 40,660 workers.
What does a millwrights do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Performing General Physical Activities, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a millwrights make?
BLS national median annual wage: $65,170 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $86,460 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49,120 |
| 25th percentile | $63,271 |
| Median (50th) | $80,935 |
| 75th percentile | $108,478 |
| 90th percentile | $132,129 |
What education do you need?
For Millwrights, 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 Operations Monitoring, Installation, Equipment Maintenance, Troubleshooting, Repairing, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, Mathematics, Design, Building and Construction. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is millwrights in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.9% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 9.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 20.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 40,660.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do millwrightss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 40,660 | 19.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 40,260 | 18.9% |
| Construction | 17,600 | 8.3% |
| Manufacturing | 14,500 | 6.8% |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 11,840 | 5.6% |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 9,990 | 4.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Millwrights in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Millwrights workforce.
Employment Over Time
40,660 Workforce in 2023
The Millwrights workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Millwrights.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$86,460 Average Wage
In 2023, Millwrights earned an average of $86,460.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Millwrights.
Salary distribution for Millwrights.
Employment Growth Projections
1.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
9,256 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 9.7%
10,152 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 20.3%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.9% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Millwrights.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Millwrights and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Millwrights employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Millwrights.
Wage Trends by Industry
14.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Millwrights.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Millwrights.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 3,220 employees, $66,370 avg wage
- MI: 2,510 employees, $77,510 avg wage
- CA: 2,490 employees, $84,190 avg wage
- GA: 2,240 employees, $59,260 avg wage
- OH: 1,920 employees, $70,340 avg wage
- IN: 1,910 employees, $74,630 avg wage
- AL: 1,880 employees, $61,980 avg wage
- IL: 1,850 employees, $76,370 avg wage
- PA: 1,570 employees, $70,220 avg wage
- KY: 1,460 employees, $65,730 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Millwrights.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 1,330 employees, $81,550 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,290 employees, $83,680 avg wage
- Kansas City, MO-KS: 920 employees, $75,370 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 920 employees, $62,150 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 800 employees, $74,650 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 760 employees, $64,690 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 730 employees, $89,410 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 710 employees, $65,300 avg wage
- Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN: 520 employees, $70,670 avg wage
- Birmingham, AL: 450 employees, $62,780 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Millwrights.
Diversity
Demographic information on Millwrights in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Millwrights in 2023 was 40,660 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Millwrights.
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 Millwrights.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Millwrights.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Millwrights in 2023 were Engineering, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Millwrights.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Millwrights workers.
Education level distribution for Millwrights.
Skills
Millwrights need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Installation, Equipment Maintenance, Troubleshooting, Repairing.
Required skills for Millwrights.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Millwrights.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Millwrights include Mechanical, Mathematics, Design, Building and Construction, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Millwrights.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Millwrights include Manual Dexterity, Control Precision, Finger Dexterity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Millwrights.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Millwrights.
Daily Activities
Millwrights spend their time on activities such as Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Performing General Physical Activities.
Most important work activities for Millwrights.
About
Millwrights
The average yearly wage for Millwrights was $86,460 in 2023.
SOC Code
49-9044 - Millwrights
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Millwrights reports an average salary of $86,460.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 40,660 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.9%, 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.