Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2007

51-4041 Machinists

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments. Include 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, shop mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
410,900 1.2 % $17.49 $36,370 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.42 $13.28 $16.94 $21.18 $25.83
Annual Wage (2) $21,670 $27,610 $35,230 $44,050 $53,730

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing 91,610 $16.92 $35,190
Employment Services 30,310 $13.64 $28,380
Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing 26,270 $17.77 $36,970
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing 25,420 $18.58 $38,650
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 18,320 $19.70 $40,970

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Elementary and Secondary Schools 60 $30.52 $63,480
Natural Gas Distribution 140 $28.50 $59,270
Specialized Design Services (8) $27.97 $58,170
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 810 $25.30 $52,630
Local Government (OES designation) 840 $24.49 $50,930

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all States with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Michigan 25,430 $18.77 $39,050 0.604%
Wisconsin 16,580 $17.83 $37,080 0.599%
Connecticut 9,860 $18.16 $37,780 0.586%
Ohio 29,610 $16.74 $34,810 0.554%
Illinois 32,150 $17.93 $37,290 0.545%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 90 $30.49 $63,420 0.014%
Alaska 170 $25.57 $53,180 0.056%
Hawaii 420 $23.03 $47,890 0.069%
Delaware 570 $22.05 $45,870 0.134%
Washington 5,100 $21.30 $44,300 0.181%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all Metropolitan areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Rockford, IL 4,860 $18.90 $39,310 3.140%
Morristown, TN 1,210 $15.91 $33,080 2.529%
Fond du Lac, WI 830 $19.10 $39,730 1.884%
Jackson, MI 870 $14.25 $29,640 1.532%
Kokomo, IN 650 $26.88 $55,920 1.457%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Kokomo, IN 650 $26.88 $55,920 1.457%
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 220 $26.07 $54,240 0.271%
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 170 $25.66 $53,380 0.135%
Boulder, CO 280 $24.75 $51,470 0.174%
Honolulu, HI 350 $23.52 $48,910 0.081%

About May 2007 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files (XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. 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 mean 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.

(8) Estimate not released.

Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2007 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2007 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2007 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2007 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2007 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2008