Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-9071 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$52,541
$25.26/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers is $52,541 per year ($25.26/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $39,520 and $69,805 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $87,547 per year. There are approximately 22,440 jewelers and precious stone and metal workers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems. Includes diamond polishers and gem cutters, and persons who perform precision casting and modeling of molds, casting metal in molds, or setting precious and semiprecious stones for jewelry and related products.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-5.5%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
4K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
35K
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
Personal and Household Goods Repair and Maintenance
NAICS 811400
1K
$46,390
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
380
$84,800
Wage range across top 5 industries: $46,390 to $84,800 (83% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$17.11
$35,589
P25
$19.00
$39,520
P50MEDIAN
$25.26
$52,541
P75
$33.56
$69,805
P90
$42.09
$87,547
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 jewelers and precious stone and metal workers salary?
The national median salary for Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers is $52,541 per year ($25.26/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $39,520 and $69,805 annually.
How much do top-earning jewelers and precious stone and metal workers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers is $87,547 per year ($42.09/hr). The 75th percentile is $69,805 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for jewelers and precious stone and metal workers?
Entry-level Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers (10th percentile) earn approximately $35,589 per year ($17.11/hr). The 25th percentile is $39,520 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.
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