Printing Press Operators Salary: $45,160 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 145,110 printing press operators work nationally, and $45,160 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 8% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.8% annual decline.
Printing Press Operators: what the data shows
Common questions about printing press operators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a printing press operators?
Printing Press Operators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-5112.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 145,110 workers.
What does a printing press operators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Controlling Machines and Processes, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Scheduling Work and Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a printing press operators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $45,160 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $50,498 — 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 | $37,294 |
| 25th percentile | $39,490 |
| Median (50th) | $47,215 |
| 75th percentile | $58,911 |
| 90th percentile | $65,724 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Equipment Maintenance, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is printing press operators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.8% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -13.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -24.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 145,110.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do printing press operatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 145,110 | 19.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 142,330 | 19.3% |
| Manufacturing | 107,890 | 14.6% |
| Printing and Related Support Activities | 87,060 | 11.8% |
| Printing and Related Support Activities | 87,060 | 11.8% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 10,730 | 1.4% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Printing Press Operators 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 174,430 | $45,590 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Printing Press Operators workforce.
Employment Over Time
145,110 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Printing Press Operators shrank from 70,800 in 2011 to 47,540 in 2025 (32.9%).
Historical employment for Printing Press Operators from the California OEWS series, 2011–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$45,160 Median pay (BLS national)
Printing Press Operators earn $45,160 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Printing Press Operators.
Salary distribution for Printing Press Operators.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
41,236 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -13.3%
35,768 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -24.8%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Printing Press Operators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Printing Press Operators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Printing Press Operators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Printing Press Operators.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Printing Press Operators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Printing Press Operators.
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:
- CA: 11,990 employees, $49,220 avg wage
- IL: 10,060 employees, $49,070 avg wage
- TX: 9,510 employees, $44,580 avg wage
- OH: 7,650 employees, $45,160 avg wage
- FL: 7,600 employees, $41,210 avg wage
- NY: 7,200 employees, $50,200 avg wage
- PA: 6,770 employees, $46,780 avg wage
- WI: 6,480 employees, $49,890 avg wage
- IN: 5,230 employees, $46,670 avg wage
- MN: 4,800 employees, $52,370 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Printing Press Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 8,170 employees, $49,920 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 6,540 employees, $54,890 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 5,970 employees, $47,450 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 4,150 employees, $50,160 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 3,350 employees, $54,060 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 3,000 employees, $45,630 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 2,770 employees, $50,690 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,560 employees, $41,620 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 2,320 employees, $44,150 avg wage
- Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN: 1,990 employees, $46,270 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Printing Press Operators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Printing Press Operators in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Printing Press Operators is about 145,110 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Printing Press Operators.
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 Printing Press Operators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Printing Press Operators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Printing Press Operators in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Printing Press Operators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Printing Press Operators workers.
Education level distribution for Printing Press Operators.
Skills
Printing Press Operators need many skills, but most especially Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Printing Press Operators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Printing Press Operators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Printing Press Operators include Mechanical, Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Printing Press Operators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Printing Press Operators include Near Vision, Control Precision, Problem Sensitivity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity.
Required abilities for Printing Press Operators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Printing Press Operators.
Daily Activities
Printing Press Operators spend their time on activities such as Controlling Machines and Processes, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Scheduling Work and Activities.
Most important work activities for Printing Press Operators.
About
Printing Press Operators
Printing Press Operators earn $45,160 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
51-5112 - Printing Press Operators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Printing Press Operators reports an average salary of $50,498.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 145,110 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.8%, 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.