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The national median salary for Millwrights is $65,707 per year ($31.59/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $56,389 and $81,494 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $93,600 per year. There are approximately 40,330 millwrights employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to layout plans, blueprints, or other drawings.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.0%
Little or no change
Annual openings
4K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
41K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Apprenticeship
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Building Equipment Contractors
NAICS 238200
10K
$65,220
Nonresidential Building Construction
NAICS 236200
5K
$61,820
Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance
NAICS 811300
3K
$62,640
Sawmills and Wood Preservation
NAICS 321100
3K
$62,760
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
2K
$53,000
Wage range across top 5 industries: $53,000 to $65,220 (23% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$22.25
$46,280
P25
$27.11
$56,389
P50MEDIAN
$31.59
$65,707
P75
$39.18
$81,494
P90
$45.00
$93,600
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average millwrights salary?
The national median salary for Millwrights is $65,707 per year ($31.59/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $56,389 and $81,494 annually.
How much do top-earning millwrights make?
The 90th percentile salary for Millwrights is $93,600 per year ($45.00/hr). The 75th percentile is $81,494 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for millwrights?
Entry-level Millwrights (10th percentile) earn approximately $46,280 per year ($22.25/hr). The 25th percentile is $56,389 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.