Machinists in California

Is California a good place for you to work as a Machinist?

You’re in luck! Jobs for Machinists in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Machinists in California is growing slower than average.

• Machinists in California earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

What Major Will Prepare You For a Machinist Career?

• Precision Production
• Precision Metal Working
• Machine Tool Technology/Machinist
• Machine Shop Technology/Assistant

How Many Machinists Work in California?

In California, there were 36,530 people working as Machinists in the year 2018.

There were 34,890 Machinists employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 1,640 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 4,240 Machinists working in it, which means California has more Machinists than average.

Job Projections for California

Jobs for Machinists in this state are growing at a rate of 4.2% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 2.0%.

California Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 3,770 annual job openings, and a total of 37,000 jobs for California Machinists in 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 40,700 annual jobs and 404,100 total jobs in 2026.

What do Machinists Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Machinists ranged from $26,660 to $73,000 with $45,080 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $12.82 to $35.1. The median hourly rate was $21.67.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $20.86 an hour.

The hourly rate grew by $0.81.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Machinists

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Machinists.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	16,510	$43,840
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA	4,030	$42,660
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	3,530	$54,860
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	3,320	$40,200
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	3,060	$53,570
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	1,140	$45,230
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA	770	$42,600
Fresno, CA	580	$35,330
Bakersfield, CA	440	$45,180
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA	370	$61,400
Stockton-Lodi, CA	340	$39,810
Santa Rosa, CA	280	$52,040
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	270	$47,740
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA	270	$50,520
Modesto, CA	260	$47,470
Visalia-Porterville, CA	140	$37,020
Salinas, CA	120	$47,970
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	110	$53,460
Madera, CA	80	$57,280
Redding, CA	60	$53,290
Merced, CA	40	$37,890
Chico, CA	40	$38,170

Top States for Machinists Employment

View the list below to see where most Machinists work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	36,530	$45,080
Illinois	31,000	$38,540
Michigan	27,020	$39,920
Ohio	26,250	$41,390
Texas	26,050	$45,570
Indiana	18,390	$42,880
Pennsylvania	17,060	$43,730
New York	14,000	$45,550
Minnesota	12,870	$49,510
Wisconsin	12,820	$42,070
South Carolina	12,480	$36,270
North Carolina	11,710	$40,890
Washington	10,300	$50,110
Florida	9,250	$40,780
Massachusetts	7,790	$51,050
Tennessee	7,690	$43,110
Connecticut	7,590	$49,950
Georgia	7,240	$40,330
Missouri	6,280	$43,470
Kentucky	6,240	$42,430

Below are the states where Machinists get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
Alaska	$68,080
Hawaii	$67,810
District of Columbia	$58,280
Delaware	$56,310
Maryland	$53,480
North Dakota	$52,360
Wyoming	$52,300
New Mexico	$51,670
Massachusetts	$51,050
Washington	$50,110

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies.