Production
Printing Press Operators
SOC 51-5112
Set up and run the presses that print packaging and publications.
The job
Median pay
$46k
$37k to $56k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Declining
-8.7% projected
Openings a year
12k
BLS projection
Typical education
High school
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
11/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
21st pct
More exposed than 21% of occupations · modeled estimate · 40th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
34/100
Key skills
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 12,320 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $46k |
| Illinois | 9,550 | 1.6 | 1.7× | $46k |
| Texas | 9,110 | 0.6 | 0.7× | $43k |
| Wisconsin | 8,120 | 2.8 | 3.0× | $47k |
| Ohio | 7,500 | 1.4 | 1.5× | $46k |
| Pennsylvania | 7,150 | 1.2 | 1.3× | $47k |
| Florida | 7,060 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $41k |
| New York | 6,700 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $48k |
| Michigan | 5,110 | 1.2 | 1.3× | $45k |
| Minnesota | 4,960 | 1.7 | 1.8× | $49k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 4,820 | 1.5 | 1.6× | $45k |
| Georgia | 4,220 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $42k |
| New Jersey | 4,180 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $50k |
| North Carolina | 3,910 | 0.8 | 0.8× | $46k |
| Tennessee | 3,510 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $43k |
| Missouri | 3,460 | 1.2 | 1.3× | $46k |
| Virginia | 3,210 | 0.8 | 0.8× | $44k |
| Kansas | 2,640 | 1.8 | 2.0× | $42k |
| Kentucky | 2,470 | 1.2 | 1.3× | $48k |
| Arizona | 2,400 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $43k |
| Washington | 2,310 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $50k |
| Alabama | 2,160 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $37k |
| Nebraska | 2,140 | 2.1 | 2.3× | $42k |
| Massachusetts | 2,110 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $53k |
| South Carolina | 2,100 | 0.9 | 1.0× | $40k |
| Iowa | 2,070 | 1.3 | 1.4× | $41k |
| Utah | 1,970 | 1.1 | 1.2× | $41k |
| Colorado | 1,830 | 0.6 | 0.7× | $48k |
| Arkansas | 1,760 | 1.4 | 1.5× | $46k |
| Connecticut | 1,610 | 0.9 | 1.0× | $46k |
| Nevada | 1,360 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $44k |
| Oregon | 1,330 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $49k |
| Maryland | 1,250 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $48k |
| Oklahoma | 1,140 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $37k |
| Louisiana | 870 | 0.4 | 0.5× | $38k |
| New Hampshire | 680 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $48k |
| Mississippi | 670 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $38k |
| Idaho | 610 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $39k |
| Rhode Island | 510 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $45k |
| West Virginia | 470 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $41k |
| South Dakota | 460 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $45k |
| Washington DC | 350 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $117k |
| Hawaii | 350 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $45k |
| Maine | 300 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $47k |
| Montana | 300 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $42k |
| North Dakota | 270 | 0.6 | 0.7× | $38k |
| New Mexico | 250 | 0.3 | 0.3× | $37k |
| Delaware | 210 | 0.4 | 0.5× | $45k |
| Vermont | 190 | 0.6 | 0.7× | $46k |
| Alaska | 170 | 0.5 | 0.6× | $46k |
| Wyoming | 90 | 0.3 | 0.3× | $41k |
Top metro areas
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN7,790 jobs · $47k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ6,700 jobs · $50k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA6,140 jobs · $46k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX3,880 jobs · $46k median
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI3,390 jobs · $50k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD2,910 jobs · $49k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA2,650 jobs · $45k median
- Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI2,590 jobs · $47k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Printing Press Operators 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.