Machinists

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2019 Workforce

355k

Average Age

45.8

Estimated Job Growth

1.99%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$51,189

Average Male Salary

$51,695

Average Female Salary

$41,826

About

Machinists are most often employed by the Machine shops; turned product; screw, nut & bolt manufacturing industry. The average yearly wage for Machinists was $51,189 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Machinists by wage are Postal service clerks, Avionics technicians, and Sailors & marine oilers, & ship engineers.

Machinists are part of the Production Occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of production & operating workers, Electrical, electronics, & electromechanical assemblers, Engine & other machine assemblers, Structural metal fabricators & fitters, Other assemblers and fabricators, and 55 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Machinists are Portage County PUMA, OH, Wright County PUMA, MN, and Jefferson County (North) PUMA, MO. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Machinists are Highland, Clinton & Adams Counties PUMA, OH, Jefferson County (North) PUMA, MO, and Crawford & Warren Counties PUMA, PA.

Production Occupations Production Occupations Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Machinists and on wages and locations for those in the field. Machine shops; turned product; screw, nut & bolt manufacturing is the industry that employs the most Machinists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Machinists, by average wage, is Air transportation. Machinists are paid most in Ionia, Montcalm, Mecosta & Osceola Counties PUMA, MI but are relatively concentrated in Highland, Clinton & Adams Counties PUMA, OH.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$51,189

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,183

In 2019, Machinists earned an average of $51,189, $4,335 less than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Avionics technicians make somewhat more than Machinists while Postal service clerks make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Machinists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.257

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Machinists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.257, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Machinists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Machinists.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Machinists

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Machinists.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Machinists, by number of employees, are Machine shops; turned product; screw, nut & bolt manufacturing , Machinery manufacturing, n.e.c. or not specified, and Aircraft & parts manufacturing.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Machinists, by average wage, are Electric power generation, transmission & distribution, Petroleum refining, Printing & related support activities, Air transportation, Air transportation, Electric power generation, transmission & distribution, Electric power generation, transmission & distribution, Communications, & audio & video equipment manufacturing, Beverage manufacturing, Air transportation, Bus service & urban transit, Commercial & industrial machinery & equipment repair & maintenance, Electric power generation, transmission & distribution, Petroleum refining, Electric power generation, transmission & distribution, Beverage manufacturing, Tire manufacturing, and Petroleum refining.

Industries by Share

355k

2019 Workforce

± 14,604

10.6%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.4%

The number of people employed as Machinists has been growing at a rate of 10.6%, from 320,626 people in 2018 to 354,675 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Machinists employed by various industries. Machine shops; turned product; screw, nut & bolt manufacturing employs the largest share of Machinists at 27.1%, followed by Machinery manufacturing, n.e.c. or not specified with 7.71% and Aircraft & parts manufacturing with 7.67%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Machinists in the US. The average age of male Machinists in the workforce is 45.8 and of female Machinists is 46.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Machinists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

337k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 14,226

18.2k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 3,309

94.9% of Machinists are Male, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Machinists.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Machinists

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

74.9% of Machinists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 9.6% of Machinists, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Machinists.

Age by Gender

45.8

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.592

46.3

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 2.49

The median age of Machinists is 45.8, and Male employees are generally 0.488 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Machinists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Machinists is Engineering but a relatively high number of Machinists hold a major in Protective Services.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Machinists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Machinists need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operation Monitoring, and Critical Thinking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Machinists need more than the average amount of Installation, Equipment Maintenance, and Repairing.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Machinists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 6.85%, but Machinists are expected to see a growth of 1.99% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow slower than the national average.

Job Growth

1.99%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

6.85%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2018 to 2028) for Machinists. This profession is expected to grow lower than 6.85%, the average rate of national job growth.