Prepress Technicians and Workers Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for prepress technicians and workerss 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 $50,800 ≈ $24/hr
National median salary $48,690
Total employment 23,840 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -14.6% Decline
Annual openings 2,800 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 26,200 → 22,300 (-3,800)
Typical entry education Postsecondary nondegree award

Salary Map

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

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. District of Columbia$101,710
  2. Rhode Island$62,540
  3. New Jersey$59,660
  4. Massachusetts$58,340
  5. Maryland$57,600

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Alabama$35,680
  2. West Virginia$38,160
  3. Louisiana$41,740
  4. Texas$42,140
  5. Oklahoma$42,470
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 District of Columbia $101,710 $100,980 $49 +100.2% 180
2 Rhode Island $62,540 $45,930 $30 +23.1%
3 New Jersey $59,660 $56,840 $29 +17.4% 880
4 Massachusetts $58,340 $57,250 $28 +14.8% 460
5 Maryland $57,600 $60,770 $28 +13.4% 480
6 Vermont $56,470 $55,880 $27 +11.2% 40
7 California $55,580 $53,860 $27 +9.4% 2,020
8 Connecticut $55,580 $48,780 $27 +9.4% 430
9 Illinois $54,520 $49,450 $26 +7.3% 680
10 Colorado $54,380 $51,730 $26 +7% 150
11 Washington $53,910 $53,770 $26 +6.1% 380
12 Oregon $53,660 $54,360 $26 +5.6% 230
13 New York $53,260 $52,420 $26 +4.8% 1,110
14 Nevada $53,220 $55,680 $26 +4.8% 130
15 Minnesota $52,750 $49,130 $25 +3.8% 2,880

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 121 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $70,670 $74,030 490
2 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $66,670 $69,680 80
3 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $59,970 $61,190 200
4 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR $59,540 $55,970 60
5 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI $58,430 $57,210 180
6 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $58,360 $61,600 290
7 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR $58,200 $54,220 40
8 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC $57,850 $54,740 30
9 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $56,930 $55,740 190
10 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC $56,850 $53,620 30

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing prepress technicians and workerss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS $100,980 $93,490 240
2 Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) $100,980 $105,180 180
3 Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) $100,980 $105,180 180
4 Sector 99 - Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS $100,980 $93,490 240
5 Engineering Services $80,330 $85,960 60
6 Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services $80,310 $81,710 70
7 Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS $77,910 $80,030 460
8 Junior Colleges, Local Government Owned $75,440 $72,980 60
9 Junior Colleges $75,120 $71,980 60
10 Educational Services, Local Government Owned $73,780 $70,190 130
11 Elementary and Secondary Schools, Local Government Owned $72,960 $67,940 70
12 Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) $72,960 $70,230 160

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
5,835
$10-20k
1,617
$20-30k
2,464
$30-40k
3,456
$40-50k
2,992
$50-60k
1,683
$60-70k
2,623
$70-80k
867
$80-90k
737
$100-110k
404
$150-160k
75
$200k+
35

Pay by age band

16-24
$23,232
25-34
$39,045
35-44
$40,728
45-54
$38,378
55-64
$40,174
65+
$21,698

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$25,173
Bachelors Degree
$46,697
Associates Degree
$35,721
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$42,288
GED or alternative credential
$24,432
Some college, but less than 1 year
$33,547
Masters Degree
$53,902
Grade 11
$31,064
Professional degree
$33,820
No schooling completed
$35,450
Grade 9
$25,488
Grade 6
$28,546
12th grade - no diploma

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
15,244 · $46,434
Part-time
1,408 · $19,771

Race / ethnicity

White
$36,709
Black
$23,952
Two or More Races
$20,688
Asian
$60,099
Other
$27,740
American Indian
$40,781

Top fields of study

Commercial Art And Graphic Design
$52,964
Fine Arts
$53,541
Music
$33,025
Communications
$50,524
Business Management And Administration
$76,464
Communication Technologies
$63,003
Journalism
$51,075
General Social Sciences

Top Skills

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

Speaking
3.1
Active Listening
3.1
Critical Thinking
3.1
Monitoring
3.1
Time Management
3.1
Reading Comprehension
3.0
Operations Monitoring
3.0
Coordination
3.0
Complex Problem Solving
3.0
Judgment and Decision Making
3.0
Active Learning
2.9
Writing
2.9

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do prepress technicians and workers make in the U.S.?

The median prepress technicians and workers salary in the United States is $48,690 per year (mean $50,800), and about 80% earn between $35,810 and $66,080.

How much do prepress technicians and workers make per hour?

Roughly $24 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $50,800 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays prepress technicians and workers the most?

District of Columbia has the highest average pay for prepress technicians and workers at $101,710 per year (median $100,980).

What is the job outlook for prepress technicians and workers?

Employment is projected to change -14.6% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 2,800 openings per year.