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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

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)
360,340 1.2 % $ 22.98 $ 47,800 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Machinists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 14.06 $ 17.26 $ 22.04 $ 27.85 $ 33.20
Annual Wage (2) $ 29,240 $ 35,900 $ 45,840 $ 57,930 $ 69,050


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 92,070 26.84 $ 21.97 $ 45,690
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 35,200 4.89 $ 22.66 $ 47,140
Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing 24,190 14.49 $ 22.32 $ 46,420
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) 22,820 5.05 $ 22.06 $ 45,880
Employment Services 21,350 0.67 $ 19.56 $ 40,680

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 92,070 26.84 $ 21.97 $ 45,690
Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing 24,190 14.49 $ 22.32 $ 46,420
Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing 8,590 9.34 $ 22.63 $ 47,070
Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing 1,990 6.18 $ 24.75 $ 51,480
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) 22,820 5.05 $ 22.06 $ 45,880

Top paying industries for Machinists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Natural Gas Distribution 40 0.04 $ 46.38 $ 96,470
Scheduled Air Transportation 380 0.09 $ 42.94 $ 89,320
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 1,030 0.02 $ 40.76 $ 84,780
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 440 0.11 $ 38.03 $ 79,100
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 1,230 1.13 $ 33.74 $ 70,180


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.





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 34,730 2.11 0.82 $ 23.99 $ 49,900
Illinois 28,680 5.10 1.97 $ 21.81 $ 45,370
Texas 26,040 2.15 0.83 $ 23.35 $ 48,570
Ohio 23,740 4.62 1.78 $ 21.79 $ 45,330
Michigan 22,920 5.84 2.25 $ 21.95 $ 45,650




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 18,450 6.32 2.44 $ 22.31 $ 46,400
South Carolina 11,870 5.89 2.27 $ 19.38 $ 40,320
Michigan 22,920 5.84 2.25 $ 21.95 $ 45,650
Connecticut 8,950 5.81 2.24 $ 25.32 $ 52,660
Illinois 28,680 5.10 1.97 $ 21.81 $ 45,370




Top paying states for Machinists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 160 0.52 0.20 $ 30.90 $ 64,270
Maryland 2,210 0.88 0.34 $ 28.04 $ 58,320
Delaware 320 0.75 0.29 $ 27.81 $ 57,850
Massachusetts 8,480 2.53 0.98 $ 27.55 $ 57,300
Wyoming 490 1.88 0.72 $ 27.10 $ 56,370





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 19,650 4.50 1.74 $ 21.90 $ 45,550
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 15,220 2.61 1.01 $ 22.95 $ 47,740
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 9,670 3.26 1.26 $ 24.78 $ 51,530
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 9,390 5.28 2.04 $ 23.12 $ 48,090
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 7,660 4.14 1.60 $ 25.94 $ 53,950
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 6,620 0.75 0.29 $ 25.38 $ 52,800
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 6,150 1.72 0.66 $ 22.17 $ 46,110
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 5,580 2.85 1.10 $ 28.36 $ 58,990
Cleveland-Elyria, OH 5,550 5.65 2.18 $ 20.93 $ 43,530
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 5,230 5.09 1.96 $ 24.57 $ 51,110




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 2,630 19.56 7.55 $ 21.34 $ 44,380
Jackson, MI 900 19.42 7.50 $ 19.78 $ 41,140
Columbus, IN 810 17.31 6.68 $ 19.95 $ 41,500
Monroe, MI 470 13.42 5.18 $ 29.57 $ 61,500
Muskegon, MI 670 12.33 4.76 $ 18.79 $ 39,090
Sumter, SC 440 12.30 4.75 $ 18.38 $ 38,220
Elmira, NY 360 11.35 4.38 $ 22.08 $ 45,920
Carson City, NV 320 11.22 4.33 $ 19.37 $ 40,280
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC 4,340 11.10 4.28 $ 20.34 $ 42,300
Morristown, TN 470 10.80 4.17 $ 20.16 $ 41,940




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 260 0.63 0.24 $ 33.15 $ 68,950
Anchorage, AK 60 0.38 0.15 $ 31.06 $ 64,610
Farmington, NM 30 0.70 0.27 $ 30.86 $ 64,190
Kennewick-Richland, WA 170 1.53 0.59 $ 30.22 $ 62,870
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 360 4.12 1.59 $ 30.15 $ 62,710
Redding, CA 50 0.79 0.31 $ 29.86 $ 62,110
Monroe, MI 470 13.42 5.18 $ 29.57 $ 61,500
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 4,010 1.49 0.57 $ 29.45 $ 61,250
Flagstaff, AZ 60 0.97 0.38 $ 28.97 $ 60,250
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 3,330 1.43 0.55 $ 28.63 $ 59,560

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 3,470 17.13 6.61 $ 22.89 $ 47,620
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 2,240 9.38 3.62 $ 22.16 $ 46,100
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 2,010 6.43 2.48 $ 19.43 $ 40,420
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area 1,690 13.44 5.19 $ 20.07 $ 41,750
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 1,670 6.77 2.61 $ 19.42 $ 40,380

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 3,470 17.13 6.61 $ 22.89 $ 47,620
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area 1,690 13.44 5.19 $ 20.07 $ 41,750
Upper Savannah South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 870 11.21 4.33 $ 18.40 $ 38,270
Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area 1,530 10.10 3.90 $ 21.41 $ 44,540
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 2,240 9.38 3.62 $ 22.16 $ 46,100

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Machinists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 70 0.88 0.34 $ 31.75 $ 66,050
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 80 0.77 0.30 $ 30.79 $ 64,040
Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 190 2.35 0.91 $ 29.60 $ 61,580
Northeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 60 0.70 0.27 $ 28.73 $ 59,760
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 110 0.94 0.36 $ 28.51 $ 59,290


About May 2020 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.

(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 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021