Machinists

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Total Workforce

321k

Average Age

44.6

Average Salary

$49,114

Average Male Salary

$49,886

Average Female Salary

$32,421

About

Machinists are most often employed by the Machine shops; turned product; screw, nut & bolt manufacturing industry. The average yearly wage for Machinists was $49,114 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Machinists by wage are Pipelayers, Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, and Heating, air conditioning, & refrigeration mechanics & installers.

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 Chisago, Isanti, Pine, Mille Lacs & Kanabec Counties PUMA, MN, Coffee, Franklin, Lincoln & Moore Counties PUMA, TN, and Tangipahoa & Washington Parishes PUMA, LA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Machinists are Coffee, Franklin, Lincoln & Moore Counties PUMA, TN, Chisago, Isanti, Pine, Mille Lacs & Kanabec Counties PUMA, MN, and Crawford & Warren Counties PUMA, PA.

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

Employment

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 Electric power generation, transmission & distribution. Machinists are paid most in Ionia, Montcalm, Mecosta & Osceola Counties PUMA, MI but are relatively concentrated in Coffee, Franklin, Lincoln & Moore Counties PUMA, TN.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$49,114

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,223

In 2018, Machinists earned an average of $49,114, $4,775 less than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make somewhat more than Machinists while Pipelayers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Machinists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.266

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Machinists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.266, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. 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, Air transportation, Electric power generation, transmission & distribution, Air transportation, and Commercial & industrial machinery & equipment repair & maintenance.

Industries by Share

321k

2018 Workforce

± 13,887

-8.48%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 6.55%

The number of people employed as Machinists has been declining at a rate of -8.48%, from 350,334 people in 2017 to 320,626 people in 2018.

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 23.9%, followed by Machinery manufacturing, n.e.c. or not specified with 7.83% and Aircraft & parts manufacturing with 7.52%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Machinists in the US. The average age of male Machinists in the workforce is 44.6 and of female Machinists is 44.9, and the most common race/ethnicity for Machinists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

306k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 13,577

14.2k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 2,923

95.6% 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)

76.1% of Machinists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 7.88% 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

44.6

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.611

44.9

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 2.84

The median age of Machinists is 44.6, and Male employees are generally 0.32 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 Business but a relatively high number of Machinists hold a major in Engineering Technologies.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degree-majorss. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree-majors 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 Monitoring, Operation and Control, and Monitoring. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Machinists need more than the average amount of Installation, Repairing, and Equipment Maintenance.