Last updated: February 22, 2026

Manufacturing Salaries by State & Role (2025-2026): Complete Wage Data

What does a machinist actually earn in Michigan versus California? How does a plant manager's pay compare to a welding supervisor? Manufacturing compensation spans a wide range: production workers average $29.51 per hour while industrial production managers median $121,440 per year. This resource compiles verified salary data for 18+ manufacturing roles from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), and IndustryWeek, with state-by-state breakdowns and wage trend data through 2025.

Whether you are benchmarking compensation packages, planning workforce budgets, or researching career paths, every data point below links to its original source. This is not estimates or crowdsourced averages. It is official federal wage data.

Manufacturing Wage Overview

Manufacturing compensation sits at the intersection of occupation, geography, and industry subsector. The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, the most comprehensive federal source, surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually to produce wage estimates for 830 occupations. For manufacturing specifically, the May 2024 release shows production occupations employed 8.7 million workers at an annual mean wage of $50,090, well below the national all-occupation average of $67,920, but that aggregate hides wide variation across roles.

1. Production occupations employed 8.7 million workers in May 2024, representing 5.7% of total US employment. (BLS OEWS, May 2024)
2. The annual mean wage across all production occupations was $50,090 in May 2024, compared to a national mean of $67,920. (BLS OEWS, May 2024)
3. The median annual wage for production occupations was $45,960 in May 2024, versus the $49,500 median for all US occupations. (BLS OOH, 2024)
4. Average hourly earnings across all manufacturing employees reached $36.07 per hour in December 2025, which annualizes to roughly $75,025. (Amtec analysis of BLS CES, January 2026)
5. Production and nonsupervisory manufacturing workers averaged $29.51 per hour in December 2025. (Amtec analysis of BLS CES, January 2026)
6. The difference between all-employee manufacturing wages ($36.07/hr) and production-only wages ($29.51/hr) reflects the significant premium paid to engineers, managers, and technical professionals working in manufacturing plants. (Amtec analysis of BLS CES data)
7. The two largest production occupations by headcount were miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators (1.5 million workers) and first-line supervisors of production and operating workers (685,140). (BLS OEWS, May 2024)
8. Total manufacturing employment stood at approximately 12.69 million workers as of December 2025, including production, engineering, management, and administrative roles. (Amtec analysis of BLS CES data, January 2026)

Manufacturing Salary by Job Role

The table below consolidates BLS May 2024 median annual wage data for 18 key manufacturing-related occupations, from entry-level assemblers to senior engineering and management positions. These are nationally representative figures; individual pay varies by state, company size, experience, and specific subsector.

Production Worker Wages in Detail

Production workers form the backbone of US manufacturing, and their wages have seen measurable real growth since 2021 as manufacturers competed to retain talent during the post-pandemic labor shortage. Here is what the federal data shows.

1. Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators, the single largest production occupation, numbered 1.5 million workers in May 2024, with a median wage of $43,570. (BLS OOH, 2024)
2. Machinists are among the best-paid production trades, earning a median of $56,150 in May 2024, reflecting both the skill level required and the persistent hiring difficulty manufacturers report in this category. (BLS OOH, 2024)
3. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers median at $51,000 annually, with wages ranging from below $38,000 in the 10th percentile to above $70,000 for experienced pipe welders in energy-intensive industries. (BLS OOH, 2024)
4. CNC tool operators earned a median of $49,970 in May 2024, though experienced multi-axis CNC programmers with CAD/CAM skills often earn $65,000-$85,000 at manufacturers competing for scarce digital machining talent. (BLS data via UTI, 2025)
5. Quality control inspectors in manufacturing median at $47,460. In precision industries like aerospace or medical devices, QC roles commanding ISO or AS9100 knowledge regularly exceed $65,000. (BLS OOH, 2024)
6. Semiconductor processing technicians earned $51,180 median in May 2024, a figure set to rise as the CHIPS Act has sparked dozens of new US fab construction projects requiring tens of thousands of trained operators. (BLS OOH, 2024)
7. Production occupations as a group have an annual replacement demand of approximately 963,400 job openings per year, driven almost entirely by retirements and workers leaving manufacturing, not headcount growth. (BLS OOH, 2024)
8. The real average hourly earnings for manufacturing workers grew 2.1% in the twelve months ending February 2024, outpacing construction (1.5%) and slightly behind financial activities. (BLS, March 2024)

Engineering and Technical Salaries in Manufacturing

Manufacturing relies on engineering talent to drive efficiency, quality, and new product development. Engineers working in manufacturing settings typically earn significantly more than production workers, and demand remains strong in sectors investing in automation, defense, and advanced materials.

1. Mechanical engineers median annual wage was $102,320 in May 2024, with employment of 293,100. Job growth is projected at 9% through 2034, much faster than average. (BLS OOH, 2024)
2. Industrial engineers earned a median of $101,140 in May 2024. With 303,400 employed nationally, they are one of the most in-demand engineering disciplines in manufacturing. (BLS OOH, 2024)
3. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians earned $64,790 median in May 2024, filling roles that translate engineering plans into shop floor practice. (BLS OOH, 2024)
4. Mechanical engineers working in computer and electronic products manufacturing earn the highest sector-specific median salary for the occupation at $107,890. (ASME analysis of BLS data, 2025)
5. Mechanical engineers in architecture and engineering services firms supporting manufacturers earn a median of $102,990. (ASME analysis of BLS data, 2025)
6. Manufacturing accounts for a significant share of mechanical engineering employment. Mechanical engineers in manufacturing "design and oversee manufacture of many products" from medical devices to batteries. (BLS OOH)
7. Roughly 18,100 mechanical engineer job openings are projected annually over the 2024-2034 decade, mostly driven by the need to replace retiring workers rather than headcount expansion. (BLS OOH, 2024)
8. Logisticians and supply chain specialists employed by manufacturers median at $80,880 per year (May 2024), with significant premiums at aerospace, defense, and semiconductor manufacturers where supply chain disruptions carry high operational risk. (BLS OOH, 2024)

Management and Supervisory Pay in Manufacturing

Management compensation in manufacturing spans from first-line shift supervisors earning $55,000-$75,000 to plant managers and operations directors approaching or exceeding $150,000. An IndustryWeek survey of management-level manufacturing professionals found the average industry salary reached $135,525 in 2025, up 13.1% from 2024 as manufacturers competed for experienced operational leadership.

1. Industrial production managers (plant managers, VP of Operations, Manufacturing Directors) earned a median of $121,440 in May 2024. This role requires a bachelor's degree plus typically five or more years of manufacturing experience. (BLS OOH, 2024)
2. The mean annual wage for industrial production managers was $129,180 in May 2024, above the median, indicating that the top earners in this category pull the average significantly higher. (BLS OEWS Table 1, May 2024)
3. Total employment of industrial production managers was 241,900 nationally in 2024. The BLS projects approximately 17,100 annual openings over the next decade despite only 2% overall employment growth. (BLS OOH, 2024)
4. The average industry salary for manufacturing management and professional roles (including engineers, directors, and C-suite) reached $135,525 in 2025, a 13.1% jump that reversed a prior-year downward trend. (Advanced Manufacturing / IndustryWeek Salary Survey, November 2025)
5. Large wage increases were recorded for all workers under age 60 in the 2025 IndustryWeek manufacturing salary survey, signaling that manufacturers are competing aggressively for mid-career operational talent, not just executives. (Advanced Manufacturing / IndustryWeek Salary Survey, November 2025)
6. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers supporting manufacturing operations median at $102,010 in May 2024. (BLS OOH, 2024)

Manufacturing Wages by Industry Subsector

Not all manufacturing pays the same. Semiconductor and aerospace factories pay 30-50% more than food and textile manufacturers for comparable production roles, driven by technical complexity, precision requirements, and capital intensity. The BLS OEWS program tracks wages by detailed industry classification, and the data confirms wide subsector variation.

9. Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing posted a 22.1% wage concentration premium for production occupations in May 2024, the highest of any manufacturing subsector. (BLS OEWS, May 2024)
10. Aerospace product and parts manufacturing also ranked as one of the highest-paying production industries, cited directly by BLS in the May 2024 OEWS news release. (BLS OEWS, May 2024)
11. In food and beverage manufacturing, the most common production role pays roughly $6,000-$9,000 per year less than the all-production median, reflecting lower barriers to entry and high turnover in this subsector. (BLS OOH, 2024)
12. Mechanical engineers in computer and electronic products manufacturing earned a sector-specific median of $107,890 in 2024, the highest of any industry employing this occupation, about 5.4% above the overall mechanical engineer median. (ASME analysis of BLS data, 2025)

State-by-State Manufacturing Pay Rankings

Manufacturing wages vary significantly by state, driven by differences in local cost of living, unionization rates, industry mix, and competition for skilled workers. The BLS publishes state-level wage data through both the OEWS program and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW).

13. Washington state consistently ranks as the highest-paying state for manufacturing jobs, driven by Boeing's aerospace operations and a cluster of tech hardware manufacturers. (ZipRecruiter analysis of labor data, 2025)
14. California employs the largest manufacturing workforce in the US at 1.22 million workers and has some of the highest median wages, reflecting the state's concentration in high-technology and defense manufacturing sectors. (Visual Capitalist / BLS data, June 2025)
15. Texas employs 970,600 manufacturing workers, the second-largest state total. Wage levels sit above the national manufacturing average, supported by the state's energy, semiconductor, and aerospace sectors. (Visual Capitalist / BLS data, June 2025)
16. The three states with the largest manufacturing employment concentrations in 2023 were California (1.63M), Texas (1.18M), and Michigan (860,000). (Data USA / Census Bureau data, 2023)
17. Manufacturing wages tend to be highest in states where the dominant subsector requires specialized skills (aerospace in Washington, semiconductors in California, medical devices in Massachusetts) and lowest in states where food processing, textiles, or wood products predominate. (BLS State OEWS)

Total Compensation and Benefits in Manufacturing

Base wages tell only part of the compensation story. Manufacturing employers offer substantial benefits packages that can add 30-40% to total labor costs. The BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC) program measures this total cost quarterly.

1. Total compensation cost per hour worked in manufacturing averaged $46.30 in Q2 2025, compared to average hourly wages of ~$36.07, meaning benefits add roughly $10.23 per hour per employee on average. (BLS ECEC data, via Amtec January 2026)
2. Benefits represent approximately 33% of total compensation in manufacturing, which is above the private-sector average and reflects the long tradition of health and retirement benefits at manufacturing employers, particularly unionized facilities. (BLS ECEC data, via Amtec January 2026)
3. Total compensation costs in manufacturing continue to rise at approximately 3-4% annually, driven by health insurance inflation, rising 401(k) match expectations, and expanded paid leave policies. (Amtec analysis of BLS ECEC data, January 2026)
4. The union membership rate in manufacturing was 7.8% in 2024, and unionized manufacturing workers typically earn 10-20% more in base wages plus superior benefits compared to non-union counterparts in the same roles. (BLS, 2024; Amtec analysis)
5. Health insurance, retirement contributions, and paid leave remain near-universal benefits at US manufacturers with 100 or more employees, reinforcing the total-compensation advantage manufacturing holds over retail and food service in recruiting entry-level workers. (Amtec Manufacturing Workforce Report, January 2026)

Manufacturing Wage Trends (2020-2025)

Manufacturing wages have undergone significant change since 2020. The pandemic-era labor shortage drove rapid nominal wage gains from 2021-2023, which then moderated as labor markets cooled. By 2025, wage growth has bifurcated: management and technical roles saw another surge while production worker wage growth slowed to a steadier pace.

1. The average industry salary for manufacturing management and professionals increased 13.1% in 2025 to $135,525, reversing a 2024 downward trend in the IndustryWeek annual salary survey. (Advanced Manufacturing, November 2025)
2. Real average hourly earnings for manufacturing workers grew 2.1% in the twelve months ending February 2024, outpacing most other private-sector industries during that period. (BLS TED, March 2024)
3. As of December 2025, production and nonsupervisory manufacturing wages of $29.51 per hour reflect a steady but moderating upward trajectory, up from roughly $24-25 per hour in 2020. (Amtec analysis of BLS CES data, January 2026)
4. Total compensation costs in manufacturing are rising at 3-4% annually, meaning the true cost of labor for manufacturers grows faster than base wages due to benefits inflation. (Amtec analysis of BLS ECEC, January 2026)
5. Wage pressure in manufacturing is now driven primarily by role-specific skill scarcity rather than uniform labor shortages. CNC machinists, quality engineers, and automation technicians command premiums well above their occupational medians at manufacturers with open requisitions. (Amtec Manufacturing Workforce Report, January 2026)
6. The average weekly earnings for production workers on manufacturing payrolls track closely with the BLS SAE survey data, which the BLS updates monthly by state; this is the most current available wage series for tracking short-term trends. (BLS State and Area Employment)

Gender and Diversity Wage Data in Manufacturing

Manufacturing has one of the most persistent gender pay gaps of any major industry, both because women remain underrepresented in higher-paying technical and skilled trades roles and because wage disparities exist within comparable roles. The 2025 IndustryWeek salary survey found a $49,144 average gender wage gap in manufacturing management and professional positions.

1. The gender wage gap in manufacturing management and professional roles stood at approximately $49,144 per year in the IndustryWeek survey period, with women earning roughly 17% less than men on average across comparable manufacturing positions. (Advanced Manufacturing / IndustryWeek Salary Survey, November 2025)
2. Across all US occupations in 2024, women earned an average of 85 cents for every dollar men earned based on median hourly earnings of full- and part-time workers. Manufacturing's gap is wider than this average. (Pew Research Center, March 2025)
3. The manufacturing gender wage gap persists even controlling for occupation and experience, not just differences in job titles. Women at the 90th percentile of the wage distribution earn significantly less than men at the same percentile across manufacturing-adjacent roles. (Economic Policy Institute, 2024)
4. Women represent only about 29% of the manufacturing workforce, meaning occupational segregation contributes significantly to the overall wage gap. Women are overrepresented in lower-paying food processing and textile roles and underrepresented in machining, welding, and advanced manufacturing engineering. (National Association of Manufacturers, February 2025)
5. Closing the manufacturing gender pay gap is a stated priority of multiple industry associations. The NAM has identified workforce diversity as a key strategy for addressing the projected 1.9 million worker shortfall by 2033. (NAM, February 2025)

Job Outlook and Pay Projections Through 2034

Manufacturing employment is not growing rapidly in absolute terms, but the retirement wave among experienced workers creates persistent upward wage pressure in skilled roles. The BLS projects roughly 963,400 annual production occupation openings despite modest net employment growth, meaning demand for workers in the existing talent pool stays elevated.

1. About 963,400 production occupation job openings are projected annually through 2034, driven almost entirely by replacement demand as experienced workers retire. (BLS OOH, 2024)
2. The US manufacturing workforce faces a projected shortfall of 1.9 million workers by 2033. Of the 3.8 million positions that will open, nearly half could go unfilled if current trends continue. (NAM, February 2025)
3. As of January 2025, there were approximately 462,000 open manufacturing jobs in the US. The gap between openings and available workers continues to create upward wage pressure in high-skill production categories. (Robert Half / NAM data, August 2025)
4. The average manufacturer reported approximately 4.2% of positions unfilled in Q3 2025, with nearly one in four manufacturers reporting vacancy rates above 5%. (NAM Q3 2025 survey, via Amtec January 2026)
5. Mechanical engineering employment is projected to grow 9% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average, with about 18,100 openings annually. (BLS OOH, 2024)
6. Industrial production manager employment is projected to grow just 2% through 2034, but replacement demand will still generate roughly 17,100 annual openings. (BLS OOH, 2024)
7. More than one-third of manufacturing executives cite workforce skills as their top talent concern as investment accelerates in automation, analytics, and smart manufacturing, suggesting that premium pay for technically skilled workers will continue to grow. (Deloitte data, via Amtec Manufacturing Workforce Report, January 2026)
8. The most persistent salary increases through 2026 are expected in CNC programmers, automation technicians, quality engineers in precision manufacturing, and plant-level managers with operational P&L experience, driven by the combination of baby boomer retirements and capital investment in smart manufacturing. (Amtec Manufacturing Workforce Report, January 2026)