Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
51-4194 Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
Perform precision smoothing, sharpening, polishing, or grinding of metal objects.
National estimates for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
Industry profile for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
Geographic profile for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
National estimates for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 6,660 |
4.3 % |
$ 23.33 |
$ 48,520 |
1.0 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 15.39 |
$ 18.29 |
$ 22.31 |
$ 27.38 |
$ 32.77 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 32,020 |
$ 38,030 |
$ 46,410 |
$ 56,950 |
$ 68,150 |
Industry profile for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Sawmills and Wood Preservation |
1,380 |
1.49 |
$ 26.55 |
$ 55,230 |
| Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance |
780 |
0.33 |
$ 19.78 |
$ 41,140 |
| Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing |
550 |
0.34 |
$ 23.27 |
$ 48,400 |
| Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) |
520 |
0.07 |
$ 20.84 |
$ 43,340 |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) |
390 |
0.08 |
$ 24.86 |
$ 51,720 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Sawmills and Wood Preservation |
1,380 |
1.49 |
$ 26.55 |
$ 55,230 |
| Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing |
550 |
0.34 |
$ 23.27 |
$ 48,400 |
| Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance |
780 |
0.33 |
$ 19.78 |
$ 41,140 |
| Personal and Household Goods Repair and Maintenance |
220 |
0.26 |
$ 19.03 |
$ 39,580 |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) |
390 |
0.08 |
$ 24.86 |
$ 51,720 |
Top paying industries for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
Geographic profile for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Michigan |
740 |
0.17 |
3.86 |
$ 21.98 |
$ 45,710 |
| California |
710 |
0.04 |
0.91 |
$ 24.52 |
$ 51,000 |
| Oregon |
450 |
0.23 |
5.32 |
$ 29.27 |
$ 60,880 |
| Washington |
410 |
0.12 |
2.66 |
$ 34.12 |
$ 70,970 |
| Texas |
390 |
0.03 |
0.66 |
$ 18.47 |
$ 38,420 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Oregon |
450 |
0.23 |
5.32 |
$ 29.27 |
$ 60,880 |
| Michigan |
740 |
0.17 |
3.86 |
$ 21.98 |
$ 45,710 |
| Alabama |
330 |
0.16 |
3.70 |
$ 19.95 |
$ 41,500 |
| New Hampshire |
90 |
0.13 |
3.02 |
$ 21.41 |
$ 44,530 |
| Washington |
410 |
0.12 |
2.66 |
$ 34.12 |
$ 70,970 |
Top paying states for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Washington |
410 |
0.12 |
2.66 |
$ 34.12 |
$ 70,970 |
| Oregon |
450 |
0.23 |
5.32 |
$ 29.27 |
$ 60,880 |
| Colorado |
80 |
0.03 |
0.63 |
$ 27.35 |
$ 56,880 |
| Minnesota |
60 |
0.02 |
0.51 |
$ 26.40 |
$ 54,910 |
| Ohio |
340 |
0.06 |
1.40 |
$ 26.36 |
$ 54,830 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
260 |
0.04 |
0.97 |
$ 24.20 |
$ 50,340 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
220 |
0.02 |
0.52 |
$ 20.24 |
$ 42,100 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
200 |
0.16 |
3.76 |
$ 28.76 |
$ 59,820 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
170 |
0.09 |
2.09 |
$ 23.05 |
$ 47,950 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
170 |
0.08 |
1.89 |
$ 41.08 |
$ 85,440 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
140 |
0.04 |
0.83 |
$ 19.28 |
$ 40,090 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
120 |
0.04 |
1.01 |
$ 24.48 |
$ 50,910 |
| Eugene, OR |
80 |
0.52 |
11.86 |
$ 30.63 |
$ 63,720 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
80 |
0.07 |
1.71 |
$ 23.90 |
$ 49,710 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
70 |
0.03 |
0.60 |
$ 20.22 |
$ 42,070 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Longview, WA |
40 |
0.97 |
22.18 |
$ 30.18 |
$ 62,770 |
| Eugene, OR |
80 |
0.52 |
11.86 |
$ 30.63 |
$ 63,720 |
| Tuscaloosa, AL |
40 |
0.42 |
9.47 |
$ 24.40 |
$ 50,760 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK |
30 |
0.32 |
7.25 |
$ 16.45 |
$ 34,210 |
| Spartanburg, SC |
50 |
0.31 |
7.04 |
$ 21.22 |
$ 44,130 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
200 |
0.16 |
3.76 |
$ 28.76 |
$ 59,820 |
| Wichita, KS |
40 |
0.15 |
3.37 |
$ 21.16 |
$ 44,010 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO |
30 |
0.11 |
2.61 |
$ 16.87 |
$ 35,090 |
| Dayton, OH |
40 |
0.11 |
2.44 |
$ 26.31 |
$ 54,720 |
| Columbia, SC |
40 |
0.09 |
2.13 |
$ 22.53 |
$ 46,860 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
170 |
0.08 |
1.89 |
$ 41.08 |
$ 85,440 |
| Eugene, OR |
80 |
0.52 |
11.86 |
$ 30.63 |
$ 63,720 |
| Longview, WA |
40 |
0.97 |
22.18 |
$ 30.18 |
$ 62,770 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN |
30 |
0.03 |
0.65 |
$ 29.11 |
$ 60,560 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
200 |
0.16 |
3.76 |
$ 28.76 |
$ 59,820 |
| Cleveland-Elyria, OH |
40 |
0.04 |
0.88 |
$ 28.61 |
$ 59,520 |
| Dayton, OH |
40 |
0.11 |
2.44 |
$ 26.31 |
$ 54,720 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
50 |
0.02 |
0.54 |
$ 26.14 |
$ 54,370 |
| Springfield, MA-CT |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 26.06 |
$ 54,200 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
120 |
0.04 |
1.01 |
$ 24.48 |
$ 50,910 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners:
About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024
United States Department of Labor
