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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

51-4041 Machinists

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures. Machinists who primarily program or operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment are classified in “Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators and Programmers” (51-9160).


National estimates for Machinists
Industry profile for Machinists
Geographic profile for Machinists

National estimates for Machinists:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Machinists:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
316,860 0.9 % $ 24.72 $ 51,430 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Machinists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 16.21 $ 18.79 $ 23.32 $ 29.27 $ 34.53
Annual Wage (2) $ 33,720 $ 39,090 $ 48,510 $ 60,870 $ 71,820


Industry profile for Machinists:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Machinists are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Machinists, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Machinists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing 77,160 23.00 $ 23.69 $ 49,270
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 32,040 4.28 $ 24.04 $ 50,000
Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing 23,440 14.46 $ 23.86 $ 49,630
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) 19,920 4.28 $ 23.19 $ 48,240
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 18,790 3.93 $ 28.29 $ 58,840

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Machinists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing 77,160 23.00 $ 23.69 $ 49,270
Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing 23,440 14.46 $ 23.86 $ 49,630
Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing 7,550 8.50 $ 24.02 $ 49,970
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) 19,920 4.28 $ 23.19 $ 48,240
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 32,040 4.28 $ 24.04 $ 50,000

Top paying industries for Machinists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 450 0.12 $ 50.10 $ 104,200
Scheduled Air Transportation 100 0.02 $ 46.78 $ 97,290
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 920 0.02 $ 46.08 $ 95,850
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 1,360 1.31 $ 40.56 $ 84,360
Rail Transportation 3,680 2.01 $ 36.77 $ 76,480


Geographic profile for Machinists:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Machinists are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Machinists, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of machinists by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Machinists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 29,710 1.68 0.79 $ 26.83 $ 55,800
Ohio 25,020 4.65 2.17 $ 23.11 $ 48,060
Michigan 23,490 5.53 2.58 $ 22.87 $ 47,580
Illinois 20,050 3.41 1.59 $ 24.66 $ 51,300
Indiana 19,180 6.21 2.90 $ 23.21 $ 48,270


Map of location quotient of machinists by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Machinists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Indiana 19,180 6.21 2.90 $ 23.21 $ 48,270
Michigan 23,490 5.53 2.58 $ 22.87 $ 47,580
Ohio 25,020 4.65 2.17 $ 23.11 $ 48,060
Minnesota 12,810 4.53 2.11 $ 25.85 $ 53,770
Connecticut 7,350 4.50 2.10 $ 27.19 $ 56,550


Map of annual mean wages of machinists by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Machinists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 260 0.38 0.18 $ 36.17 $ 75,240
Hawaii 230 0.39 0.18 $ 36.09 $ 75,060
Alaska 260 0.85 0.40 $ 31.54 $ 65,600
Wyoming 280 1.06 0.49 $ 31.50 $ 65,510
Washington 6,970 2.05 0.95 $ 29.72 $ 61,810



Map of employment of machinists by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Machinists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 12,970 2.94 1.37 $ 25.35 $ 52,720
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 11,750 1.93 0.90 $ 25.43 $ 52,880
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 9,930 5.32 2.48 $ 23.92 $ 49,760
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 8,180 4.34 2.03 $ 27.13 $ 56,440
Cleveland-Elyria, OH 6,410 6.49 3.03 $ 22.80 $ 47,410
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 5,970 1.95 0.91 $ 26.69 $ 55,520
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN 5,410 5.15 2.40 $ 22.87 $ 47,560
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 5,180 0.56 0.26 $ 27.73 $ 57,670
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 4,410 1.63 0.76 $ 28.29 $ 58,840
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 4,360 1.14 0.53 $ 26.34 $ 54,780


Map of location quotient of machinists by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Machinists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rockford, IL 2,940 21.45 10.01 $ 23.82 $ 49,550
Columbus, IN 910 18.45 8.61 $ 21.47 $ 44,660
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA 710 14.80 6.91 (8) (8)
Bloomington, IN 930 12.96 6.05 $ 24.06 $ 50,050
Jackson, MI 670 12.00 5.60 $ 22.53 $ 46,860
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI 620 10.71 5.00 $ 21.32 $ 44,340
Fort Wayne, IN 2,200 10.11 4.72 $ 22.63 $ 47,070
Muskegon, MI 610 10.02 4.68 $ 20.21 $ 42,040
Lewiston, ID-WA 250 8.88 4.15 $ 24.35 $ 50,650
Morristown, TN 400 8.63 4.03 $ 21.02 $ 43,730


Map of annual mean wages of machinists by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Machinists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Urban Honolulu, HI 220 0.51 0.24 $ 35.71 $ 74,290
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 860 0.28 0.13 $ 32.11 $ 66,790
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 340 3.75 1.75 $ 31.76 $ 66,070
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 4,080 2.00 0.93 $ 31.76 $ 66,050
Anchorage, AK 70 0.44 0.20 $ 31.55 $ 65,630
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 2,900 2.58 1.20 $ 31.41 $ 65,330
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,900 1.21 0.56 $ 31.31 $ 65,120
Corpus Christi, TX 390 2.13 0.99 $ 30.62 $ 63,690
Baton Rouge, LA 810 2.11 0.98 $ 30.57 $ 63,580
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI 440 3.70 1.73 $ 30.40 $ 63,240

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Machinists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 2,710 12.96 6.05 $ 26.32 $ 54,740
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 2,320 9.45 4.41 $ 22.53 $ 46,860
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 2,150 8.21 3.83 $ 21.09 $ 43,870
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 2,050 6.36 2.97 $ 22.26 $ 46,300
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 1,490 3.88 1.81 $ 20.62 $ 42,880

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Machinists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 2,710 12.96 6.05 $ 26.32 $ 54,740
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 2,320 9.45 4.41 $ 22.53 $ 46,860
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 2,150 8.21 3.83 $ 21.09 $ 43,870
Western Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 1,090 7.83 3.65 $ 22.40 $ 46,600
Northwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 610 6.98 3.26 $ 15.84 $ 32,950

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Machinists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $ 36.98 $ 76,910
Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 70 0.89 0.41 $ 33.54 $ 69,760
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 170 1.70 0.80 $ 30.80 $ 64,070
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area 100 1.14 0.53 $ 29.11 $ 60,540
Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area 150 2.36 1.10 $ 28.79 $ 59,890


About May 2022 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 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023