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States where machinists earn the most

Written by:
April 19, 2022
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This story originally appeared on Revelation Machinery and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

States where machinists earn the most

While no industry or job type is recession-proof, there are those that are recession-resistant. A career as a machinist is one that is readily attainable without the need of a four-year college diploma and it’s one that tends to stay steady even in economic downturns. It’s a job type defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as someone who operates machinery that produces precision metal parts, tools, and instruments, or programs or operates computer numerically controlled equipment such as lathes, routers, or laser-guided equipment.

Generally speaking, machinists needs a high school diploma and learn their craft through long-term on-the-job training and apprenticeships, often coupled with in-classroom instruction via vocational schools or community and technical colleges.

The BLS estimates that there are 333,220 machinists nationally as of May 2021, earning a mean annual salary of just over $49,000 per year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), jobs for machinists are expected to grow 7% through 2030, which translates into approximately 47,500 new jobs for machinists and tool-and-die makers across multiple industries. These new openings will come about as machinists retire or move into other occupations.

Where can machinists expect to make the highest salaries? Revelation Machinery ranked the 25 states where machinists are paid the most using salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This compilation of data includes a comparison of the median machinist salary to the state median salary for all jobs and the number of machinists per 1,000 jobs in each state.

Male factory worker changing tool setup of lathe machine
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#25. Indiana (tie)

- Median salary: $37,920 (29% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 6.32

Close up of machinist hand working with milling machine
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#25. Nebraska (tie)

- Median salary: $37,920 (28% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 3.98

Back view of a man operating a lathe grinding machine
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#25. New York (tie)

- Median salary: $37,920 (4% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 1.47

Male machinist operating with soft PVC dispensing machine
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#24. California

- Median salary: $38,010 (8% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 2.11

Carpenter training female apprentice to use a mechanized saw
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#23. Arizona

- Median salary: $38,050 (27% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 1.52

A male machinist operates a coordinate drilling machine
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#22. Idaho

- Median salary: $38,070 (33% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 1.67

Female machinist working with a wrench on farm machinery
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#21. Colorado

- Median salary: $38,100 (8% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 1.67

Machinist in safety suit operating a lathe in metalworking factory
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#20. Vermont

- Median salary: $38,110 (6% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 1.88

Close up of a carpenter using a Miter saw table
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#19. Pennsylvania

- Median salary: $38,120 (29% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 2.78

Worker pressing buttons on a console in a steel factory
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#18. Rhode Island

- Median salary: $38,170 (24% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 2.93

Wide view of factory workers producing metal parts on punching machine
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#17. Connecticut

- Median salary: $38,810 (9% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 5.81

Male worker cutting metal in a workshop with sparks flying
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#16. New Hampshire

- Median salary: $38,870 (26% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 3.14

Technician in safety gear working with a vertical milling machine
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#15. Virginia

- Median salary: $39,100 (31% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: estimate not available

Female mechanic using a vertical electric drill machine
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#14. Oregon

- Median salary: $39,690 (21% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 1.97

Low angle view of heating plant worker overlooking machines
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#13. Minnesota

- Median salary: $40,580 (19% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 3.85

Worker at the control panel of a coordinate drilling machine
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#12. North Dakota

- Median salary: $42,010 (35% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 0.87

Close up of a worker with gloves attaching load to crane hook
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Robert Kneschke // Shutterstock

#11. Utah

- Median salary: $43,550 (47% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 2.06

Man seated at a factory station working on a machine
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#10. Louisiana

- Median salary: $44,260 (85% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 2.61

Sideview of technician working with controls on machine
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#9. New Jersey

- Median salary: $45,540 (38% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 1.13

Two mechatronics specialists working on a tabletop machinery
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#8. Maine

- Median salary: $46,110 (52% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 2.23

Profile view of worker operating machinery in a plant
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#7. Delaware

- Median salary: $46,710 (56% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 0.75

Low angle view of machinist working in metal industry
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#6. Alaska

- Median salary: $46,910 (28% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 0.52

Close up of technician turning horizontal lathe machine
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#5. Massachusetts

- Median salary: $47,660 (28% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 2.53

Mechanical worker operates a machine for winding copper wire
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#3. Maryland (tie)

- Median salary: $47,940 (47% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 0.88

Close up of industrial control panel switchboard of manufacturing machine
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#3. Washington (tie)

- Median salary: $47,940 (29% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 2.70

Two men working at steel heavy machine in a factory
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#2. Hawaii

- Median salary: $59,630 (76% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 0.48

 

Factory worker in safety equipment operating machinery
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#1. Washington D.C.

- Median salary: $76,240 (56% higher than state median salary)
- Machinists per 1,000 jobs: 0.12

 

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