Salary Range & Percentiles
Pay distribution across experience levels
- 10th Percentile — Entry Level$39,200
- 25th Percentile — Junior$47,570
- 50th Percentile — Median$58,750
- 75th Percentile — Senior$67,700
- 90th Percentile — Top Earners$80,010
The top 10% of Machinists earn $80,010 or more per year. Entry-level professionals can expect to start around $39,200, with significant growth over the first 5 years.
Salary by State
Geographic salary comparison
| State | Avg Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $81,610 | +37.6% |
| Alaska | $81,160 | +36.8% |
| District of Columbia | $73,260 | +23.5% |
| Washington | $71,510 | +20.5% |
| Massachusetts | $69,390 | +17.0% |
| New Jersey | $66,720 | +12.5% |
| Oregon | $65,590 | +10.6% |
| Delaware | $65,400 | +10.2% |
| Wyoming | $64,880 | +9.4% |
| Connecticut | $64,030 | +7.9% |
| North Dakota | $63,830 | +7.6% |
| Louisiana | $62,830 | +5.9% |
| Vermont | $62,800 | +5.9% |
| Virginia | $62,770 | +5.8% |
| Colorado | $62,650 | +5.6% |
| Minnesota | $62,310 | +5.0% |
| New Hampshire | $62,150 | +4.8% |
| New York | $61,910 | +4.4% |
| Utah | $61,800 | +4.2% |
| Montana | $61,530 | +3.7% |
| Maryland | $61,420 | +3.5% |
| California | $61,380 | +3.5% |
| Missouri | $61,340 | +3.4% |
| New Mexico | $60,960 | +2.8% |
| Maine | $60,910 | +2.7% |
| Texas | $60,270 | +1.6% |
| Rhode Island | $60,230 | +1.5% |
| Arizona | $59,750 | +0.7% |
| Kentucky | $59,560 | +0.4% |
| Idaho | $59,480 | +0.3% |
| Nebraska | $59,090 | -0.4% |
| Illinois | $58,920 | -0.7% |
| Alabama | $57,860 | -2.5% |
| Wisconsin | $57,860 | -2.5% |
| Florida | $57,590 | -2.9% |
| Pennsylvania | $57,080 | -3.8% |
| South Carolina | $57,030 | -3.9% |
| Iowa | $56,960 | -4.0% |
| Ohio | $56,670 | -4.5% |
| Indiana | $56,590 | -4.6% |
| Nevada | $56,270 | -5.1% |
| Georgia | $55,690 | -6.1% |
| Mississippi | $55,600 | -6.3% |
| Michigan | $55,240 | -6.9% |
| Arkansas | $55,180 | -7.0% |
| North Carolina | $54,880 | -7.5% |
| Kansas | $54,780 | -7.7% |
| Oklahoma | $53,450 | -9.9% |
| Tennessee | $53,180 | -10.4% |
| South Dakota | $51,860 | -12.6% |
| West Virginia | $51,190 | -13.7% |
What Factors Affect Machinists Salary?
Key factors affecting compensation
Pay for Machinists is influenced by geographic location, years of experience, employer type, and educational background. Location alone is a large factor: Hawaii pays an average of $81,610, while West Virginia pays $51,190 — a gap of $30,420 per year.
The middle half of Machinists earn between $47,570 and $67,700 per year. The lowest-paid 10% earn under $39,200, while the top 10% earn more than $80,010.
These figures are the wages employers report to BLS: base pay plus commissions, production bonuses and tips. They exclude overtime pay, shift differentials, year-end bonuses, benefits and self-employed workers, so total compensation can be higher than the numbers shown.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) · May 2025
Compare with Similar Jobs
Related career salary benchmarks
- First-Line Supervisors of Production Workers $76,600/yr United States +29.1% vs this role
- Aircraft Structure Assemblers $71,420/yr United States +20.4% vs this role
- Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers $47,660/yr United States 19.7% vs this role
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters $54,030/yr United States 8.9% vs this role
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $46,660/yr United States 21.3% vs this role
- Bakers $38,480/yr United States 35.1% vs this role
- Registered Nurses $101,420/yr United States +71.0% vs this role
- Nurse Practitioners $137,300/yr United States +131.5% vs this role
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this salary
What is the average salary for Machinists?
The average salary for Machinists in the United States is $59,320 per year, with a median of $58,750.
What is the starting salary for Machinists?
Entry-level Machinists typically earn between $39,200 and $47,570 per year depending on location and employer.
What state pays Machinists the most?
Hawaii pays Machinists the most at $81,610 per year on average, followed by Alaska ($81,160) and District of Columbia ($73,260).
How much do Machinists make per hour?
Based on the average annual salary of $59,320, Machinists earn approximately $28.52 per hour (based on 2,080 working hours/year).
Is Machinists a good career in 2026?
BLS counts 287,050 Machinists jobs in the United States, with a mean annual wage of $59,320 and a median of $58,750 (OEWS May 2025). This site does not publish job-growth projections; the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook covers the outlook for each occupation.
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