Production
Machinists
SOC 51-4041
Cut and shape metal parts to exact specs on lathes and mills.
The job
Median pay
$59k
$48k to $68k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+1.0% projected
Openings a year
26k
BLS projection
Typical education
High school plus training
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
10/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
31st pct
More exposed than 31% of occupations · modeled estimate · 55th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
44/100
Key skills
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Mathematics
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 21,700 | 1.5 | 0.8× | $59k |
| Michigan | 20,350 | 4.6 | 2.5× | $52k |
| California | 18,950 | 1.0 | 0.6× | $57k |
| Ohio | 17,110 | 3.1 | 1.7× | $58k |
| Illinois | 16,520 | 2.7 | 1.5× | $59k |
| Indiana | 14,320 | 4.5 | 2.4× | $58k |
| Wisconsin | 12,700 | 4.3 | 2.3× | $59k |
| Minnesota | 12,500 | 4.2 | 2.3× | $61k |
| Pennsylvania | 12,380 | 2.0 | 1.1× | $58k |
| New York | 9,400 | 1.0 | 0.5× | $61k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 8,400 | 0.8 | 0.5× | $57k |
| Missouri | 8,380 | 2.9 | 1.6× | $59k |
| North Carolina | 8,330 | 1.7 | 0.9× | $55k |
| Tennessee | 8,270 | 2.5 | 1.4× | $50k |
| Massachusetts | 7,080 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $67k |
| Washington | 6,880 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $66k |
| Georgia | 6,090 | 1.2 | 0.7× | $53k |
| Kentucky | 6,040 | 3.0 | 1.6× | $59k |
| Virginia | 5,660 | 1.4 | 0.8× | $61k |
| Connecticut | 5,240 | 3.1 | 1.7× | $62k |
| Alabama | 5,170 | 2.4 | 1.3× | $56k |
| Louisiana | 4,640 | 2.4 | 1.3× | $61k |
| Arizona | 4,330 | 1.3 | 0.7× | $61k |
| Oklahoma | 4,230 | 2.5 | 1.3× | $51k |
| Kansas | 3,870 | 2.7 | 1.5× | $51k |
| Utah | 3,810 | 2.2 | 1.2× | $61k |
| South Carolina | 3,790 | 1.6 | 0.9× | $58k |
| New Jersey | 3,210 | 0.7 | 0.4× | $63k |
| Iowa | 2,880 | 1.8 | 1.0× | $58k |
| Colorado | 2,800 | 1.0 | 0.5× | $60k |
| Oregon | 2,760 | 1.4 | 0.8× | $64k |
| Arkansas | 2,150 | 1.6 | 0.9× | $51k |
| Mississippi | 1,920 | 1.7 | 0.9× | $56k |
| Nebraska | 1,810 | 1.8 | 1.0× | $56k |
| Maine | 1,780 | 2.8 | 1.5× | $59k |
| West Virginia | 1,700 | 2.4 | 1.3× | $47k |
| New Hampshire | 1,620 | 2.4 | 1.3× | $62k |
| Maryland | 1,380 | 0.5 | 0.3× | $60k |
| Idaho | 1,070 | 1.2 | 0.7× | $59k |
| Nevada | 900 | 0.6 | 0.3× | $53k |
| Rhode Island | 860 | 1.7 | 0.9× | $58k |
| South Dakota | 830 | 1.8 | 1.0× | $51k |
| New Mexico | 690 | 0.8 | 0.4× | $59k |
| Montana | 630 | 1.2 | 0.7× | $61k |
| North Dakota | 560 | 1.3 | 0.7× | $62k |
| Delaware | 310 | 0.6 | 0.3× | $63k |
| Wyoming | 290 | 1.0 | 0.6× | $63k |
| Hawaii | 260 | 0.4 | 0.2× | $84k |
| Vermont | 220 | 0.7 | 0.4× | $63k |
| Washington DC | 160 | 0.2 | 0.1× | $73k |
| Alaska | 120 | 0.4 | 0.2× | $78k |
Top metro areas
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN11,270 jobs · $60k median
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI9,420 jobs · $62k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX8,140 jobs · $61k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA7,850 jobs · $56k median
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI7,680 jobs · $59k median
- St. Louis, MO-IL5,620 jobs · $62k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH4,870 jobs · $72k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX4,660 jobs · $60k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Machinists interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.