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Job outlook for outside machinists in the United States
Outside machinist job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected outside machinist job growth rate is 1% from 2018-2028.
About 3,900 new jobs for outside machinists are projected over the next decade.
Outside machinist salaries have increased 10% for outside machinists in the last 5 years.
There are over 4,072 outside machinists currently employed in the United States.
There are 24,075 active outside machinist job openings in the US.
The average outside machinist salary is $42,858.
Are outside machinist jobs in demand?
Outside machinist job and salary trends over time
Outside machinist jobs over time
Outside machinist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,072 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 4,403 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 4,686 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 4,696 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 4,623 | 0.00% |
Average outside machinist salary over time
Outside machinist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $42,858 | $20.60 | +3.2% |
| 2025 | $41,530 | $19.97 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $40,791 | $19.61 | +2.4% |
| 2023 | $39,828 | $19.15 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $38,987 | $18.74 | +2.8% |
Outside machinist jobs by state
Most common states for outside machinists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 50 | 9% |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 393 | 7% |
| 3 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 333 | 6% |
| 4 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 64 | 6% |
| 5 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 599 | 5% |
| 6 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 210 | 5% |
| 7 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 189 | 5% |
| 8 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 148 | 5% |
| 9 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 135 | 5% |
| 10 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 95 | 5% |
| 11 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 70 | 5% |
| 12 | Vermont | 623,657 | 34 | 5% |
| 13 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 246 | 4% |
| 14 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 246 | 4% |
| 15 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 221 | 4% |
| 16 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 186 | 4% |
| 17 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 165 | 4% |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 52 | 4% |
| 19 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 32 | 4% |
| 20 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 31 | 4% |
Most common cities for outside machinists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Charles | 1 | 1% | $42,742 |
| 2 | San Diego | 2 | 0% | $48,400 |
| 3 | San Francisco | 1 | 0% | $50,261 |
Outside Machinist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of outside machinist experts
Precision Machined Products Association
What type of skills will young Outside Machinists need?
Miles Free: Skills are essential, but most of our precision machining shops hire for attitude. We will help reliable candidates develop the skills that they need. If we look at employers having wants and needs: want - someone that knows their software. Needs - someone that knows how to adjust code; we'll teach them our software. Wants - excellent math skills. Requires the ability to do high school algebra, geometry, and trig.
Needs - people that can communicate an issue verbally and in writing.
That's where we see it. Critical thinking, ability to understand problems and their potential causes, ability to work well with others, without this, even a super-competent technically skilled person will probably find themselves changing jobs many times.