Maintenance Workers, Machinery Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for maintenance workers, machinerys across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $64,610 ≈ $31/hr
National median salary $60,850
Total employment 60,020 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -2.8% Decline
Annual openings 4,800 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 57,500 → 55,900 (-1,600)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Kentucky$96,450
  2. Wyoming$88,540
  3. New York$73,480
  4. Nevada$72,140
  5. New Hampshire$70,470

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. South Dakota$47,040
  2. New Mexico$47,480
  3. Mississippi$54,290
  4. Indiana$54,990
  5. Arkansas$55,500
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Kentucky $96,450 $76,710 $46 +49.3% 2,920
2 Wyoming $88,540 $84,620 $43 +37% 280
3 New York $73,480 $67,610 $35 +13.7% 2,760
4 Nevada $72,140 $75,500 $35 +11.7% 750
5 New Hampshire $70,470 $77,070 $34 +9.1% 130
6 Washington $70,460 $62,970 $34 +9.1% 700
7 Alaska $69,420 $61,290 $33 +7.4% 40
8 Rhode Island $69,060 $72,040 $33 +6.9% 110
9 California $68,780 $67,840 $33 +6.5% 4,130
10 Pennsylvania $67,930 $61,080 $33 +5.1% 1,260
11 Missouri $67,440 $63,720 $32 +4.4% 2,180
12 Virginia $67,390 $65,500 $32 +4.3% 1,420
13 Louisiana $66,410 $62,640 $32 +2.8% 1,410
14 Iowa $66,110 $64,760 $32 +2.3% 900
15 Colorado $65,930 $64,010 $32 +2% 740

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 282 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN $157,260 $111,740 970
2 Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area $111,020 $101,000 130
3 Balance of Nevada nonmetropolitan area $91,730 $83,680 380
4 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX $91,440 $90,520 320
5 Clarksville, TN-KY $84,500 $81,130 70
6 Manchester-Nashua, NH $83,890 $76,700 80
7 Vallejo, CA $83,540 $81,290 70
8 Baton Rouge, LA $83,170 $77,080 360
9 Kennewick-Richland, WA $81,070 $82,310 60
10 Longview-Kelso, WA $79,890 $79,560 30

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing maintenance workers, machinerys (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Nuclear Electric Power Generation $111,370 $114,350 40
2 Other Pipeline Transportation $92,920 $98,580
3 Scientific Research and Development Services $92,040 $82,140 240
4 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences $92,040 $82,140 240
5 Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation $90,460 $93,010 130
6 Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution $90,060 $90,760 250
7 Tobacco Manufacturing $88,880 $85,210 50
8 Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services $86,510 $78,770 310
9 Engineering Services $86,510 $78,870 290
10 Pipeline Transportation $84,610 $90,680 130
11 Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing $83,550 $79,260 1,810
12 Beverage Manufacturing $83,550 $79,090 1,760

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
6,883
$10-20k
1,506
$20-30k
1,335
$30-40k
1,947
$40-50k
2,463
$50-60k
3,946
$60-70k
2,438
$70-80k
2,143
$80-90k
1,247
$90-100k
2,406
$100-110k
799
$110-120k
301
$120-130k
128
$150-160k
37
$160-170k
92
$170-180k
184
$200k+
23

Pay by age band

16-24
$26,154
25-34
$56,419
35-44
$51,843
45-54
$60,510
55-64
$58,163
65+
$17,540

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$46,273
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$44,636
Associates Degree
$58,218
Some college, but less than 1 year
$38,145
GED or alternative credential
$56,841
Bachelors Degree
$51,195
Grade 11
$40,274
Grade 8
$59,480
Grade 10
$33,554
Grade 7
No schooling completed
$33,541
Grade 9
$6,298
12th grade - no diploma
$28,540
Grade 5
$45,878
Kindergarten
$37,747
Masters Degree
$48,937
Grade 1
$6,117
Grade 6
$24,468

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
20,663 · $59,220
Part-time
1,416 · $20,264

Race / ethnicity

White
$49,411
Black
$44,846
Other
$34,638
Two or More Races
$60,099
Asian
$16,558
American Indian
$17,049

Top fields of study

Finance
$57,093
Electrical Engineering
$43,460
Electrical Engineering Technology
$72,386
Mechanical Engineering
$68,505
Geology And Earth Science
$37,816
Miscellaneous Education
$10,195
Theology And Religious Vocations
$40,781
Communications
$66,269

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Operations Monitoring
3.8
Equipment Maintenance
3.8
Repairing
3.8
Troubleshooting
3.8
Operation and Control
3.6
Quality Control Analysis
3.1
Reading Comprehension
3.0
Active Listening
3.0
Critical Thinking
3.0
Coordination
3.0
Time Management
3.0
Judgment and Decision Making
3.0

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do maintenance workers, machinery make in the U.S.?

The median maintenance workers, machinery salary in the United States is $60,850 per year (mean $64,610), and about 80% earn between $42,000 and $88,550.

How much do maintenance workers, machinery make per hour?

Roughly $31 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $64,610 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays maintenance workers, machinery the most?

Kentucky has the highest average pay for maintenance workers, machinery at $96,450 per year (median $76,710).

What is the job outlook for maintenance workers, machinery?

Employment is projected to change -2.8% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 4,800 openings per year.