Labor · Manufacturing pulse

Manufacturing wages, hiring, and job openings.

U.S. factory earnings with projections, JOLTS job openings, hires-vs-quits spread, and median pay for machinists, welders, and CNC operators by state.

The labor picture right now

  • Manufacturing average hourly earnings: $30.35 (BLS, Jul 2026).
  • Manufacturing employment: 12.61 million, down 0.1% from a year earlier (BLS, Jul 2026).
  • Manufacturing job openings: 481k nationally (BLS JOLTS).
  • Hires run 2.6% against quits of 1.5%, a net hiring spread of 1.1 points (BLS JOLTS, Jun 2026).
  • Overtime averages 4.1 hours per week (BLS, Jul 2026).

National median wage by trade

  • Production managers: $60.61 per hour (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial engineers: $49.25 per hour (OEWS 2025).
  • Production supervisors: $35.79 per hour (OEWS 2025).
  • Maintenance techs: $31.02 per hour (OEWS 2025).
  • Tool and die makers: $30.79 per hour (OEWS 2025).
  • Machinists: $28.24 per hour (OEWS 2025).
  • Welders: $25.84 per hour (OEWS 2025).
  • CNC operators: $24.37 per hour (OEWS 2025).
  • Quality inspectors: $23.35 per hour (OEWS 2025).
  • Forklift operators: $22.32 per hour (OEWS 2025).
  • Molding setters: $21.32 per hour (OEWS 2025).

Lowest machinist pay by state

  • West Virginia: $22.77 per hour.
  • Tennessee: $23.85 per hour.
  • South Dakota: $24.47 per hour.
  • Oklahoma: $24.58 per hour.
  • Arkansas: $24.59 per hour.
  • Kansas: $24.63 per hour.

Highest machinist pay by state

  • Hawaii: $40.58 per hour.
  • Alaska: $37.34 per hour.
  • District of Columbia: $35.05 per hour.
  • Massachusetts: $32.34 per hour.
  • Washington: $31.81 per hour.
  • Oregon: $30.68 per hour.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.