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The national median salary for Machinists is $58,739 per year ($28.24/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $47,570 and $67,704 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $80,018 per year. There are approximately 287,050 machinists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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).
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.0%
Little or no change
Annual openings
30K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
300K
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
Long-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing
NAICS 332700
77K
$55,660
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)
NAICS 3330A1
29K
$59,780
Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing
NAICS 333500
21K
$57,980
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing
NAICS 336400
20K
$64,140
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)
NAICS 3320A1
16K
$51,850
Wage range across top 5 industries: $51,850 to $64,140 (24% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$18.85
$39,208
P25
$22.87
$47,570
P50MEDIAN
$28.24
$58,739
P75
$32.55
$67,704
P90
$38.47
$80,018
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 machinists salary?
The national median salary for Machinists is $58,739 per year ($28.24/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $47,570 and $67,704 annually.
How much do top-earning machinists make?
The 90th percentile salary for Machinists is $80,018 per year ($38.47/hr). The 75th percentile is $67,704 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for machinists?
Entry-level Machinists (10th percentile) earn approximately $39,208 per year ($18.85/hr). The 25th percentile is $47,570 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.