Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Machinist vs Construction Manager
Machinists earn a national median of $57,590 versus $114,957 for Construction Managers, a gap of $57,367 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Machinists have posted +-1% 5-year wage growth versus +5% for Construction Managers.
How These Trades Stack Up
Construction Managers out-earn Machinists on national median by $57,367 — $114,957 versus $57,590, or about 100% more. That gap reflects differences in apprenticeship length, certification requirements, industry concentration, and union footprint between the two trades.
Construction Managers have grown faster — +5% over five years versus +-1% for Machinists. Sustained growth gaps of this size can compound meaningfully over a 20-30 year career, so workers comparing the two trades should weigh growth alongside the headline median.
Construction Managers typically complete a 0-year apprenticeship while Machinists require 4 years. The longer pathway usually translates into higher journeyman pay and stronger licensure protection, but it also delays full earnings; the shorter pathway delivers faster income at typically lower medians.
Machinist
Metalwork · 4yr apprenticeship
Construction Manager
Management · 0yr apprenticeship
City-by-City Comparison
| City | Machinist | Construction Manager | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | $73,790 | $138,970 | -$65,180 |
| San Francisco, CA | $66,320 | $160,870 | -$94,550 |
| Boston, MA | $63,600 | $156,590 | -$92,990 |
| Portland, OR | $62,350 | $136,970 | -$74,620 |
| New York, NY | $62,320 | $138,000 | -$75,680 |
| New Orleans, LA | $61,560 | $108,100 | -$46,540 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $61,040 | $102,230 | -$41,190 |
| Raleigh, NC | $61,040 | $111,660 | -$50,620 |
| St. Louis, MO | $60,850 | $104,310 | -$43,460 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $60,470 | $120,250 | -$59,780 |
| Denver, CO | $59,640 | $124,850 | -$65,210 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $59,500 | $123,460 | -$63,960 |
| Charlotte, NC | $59,260 | $105,580 | -$46,320 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $59,240 | $111,550 | -$52,310 |
| Miami, FL | $58,640 | $110,810 | -$52,170 |
| Houston, TX | $58,630 | $101,850 | -$43,220 |
| Chicago, IL | $57,470 | $118,830 | -$61,360 |
| Dallas, TX | $57,400 | $100,760 | -$43,360 |
| Detroit, MI | $57,240 | $108,560 | -$51,320 |
| Kansas City, MO | $54,380 | $106,490 | -$52,110 |
| San Antonio, TX | $53,010 | $97,010 | -$44,000 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $53,010 | $111,300 | -$58,290 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $52,920 | $103,420 | -$50,500 |
| Atlanta, GA | $52,810 | $104,280 | -$51,470 |
| Columbus, OH | $52,790 | $101,380 | -$48,590 |
| Tampa, FL | $50,830 | $100,810 | -$49,980 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $50,610 | $128,730 | -$78,120 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $50,050 | $102,330 | -$52,280 |
| Nashville, TN | $49,280 | $106,050 | -$56,770 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $47,640 | $102,720 | -$55,080 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
All wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2024) release at bls.gov/oes. National medians are the BLS-published median wages for the trade's Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code; metropolitan medians come from the same OEWS release at the metropolitan statistical area level. Five-year wage growth compares the current OEWS median to the same series five releases prior, expressed as a percent change. The Trade Pay Score weights raw pay (30%), wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade — read the full methodology.
Forward-looking employment projections through 2032 for both trades are published in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship pathway detail comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Machinists or Construction Managers make more money?
Construction Managers earn more on national median — $114,957 versus $57,590, a gap of $57,367 per 2024 BLS OEWS data. The full BLS dataset is published at https://www.bls.gov/oes/.
Which trade has stronger 5-year wage growth?
Construction Managers have posted faster wage growth at +5% versus +-1% for Machinists. Sustained gaps in growth often compound meaningfully over a 20-30 year career.
How long is the apprenticeship for each trade?
Machinists typically complete a 4-year registered apprenticeship. Construction Managers typically do not require a formal apprenticeship — workers learn on the job over several years. Programs are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
Which trade has better employment depth?
Machinists have 113,790 workers employed nationally; Construction Managers have 160,280. Larger employment bases generally translate into more job openings, easier mobility between employers, and lower volatility — useful when comparing the long-term resilience of two trade pathways.
Where can I find apprenticeships for either trade?
Registered apprenticeship programs for both Machinist and Construction Manager are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov site at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/, which lets you filter by trade, state, and city. Projected employment growth through 2032 for each occupation is published in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Machinists earn a national median of $57,590 versus $114,957 for Construction Managers, a gap of $57,367 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Machinists have posted +-1% 5-year wage growth versus +5% for Construction Managers.
The side-by-side above pulls the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey data for both Machinist and Construction Manager. What follows is the interpretation — which specific axes carry the most weight for Machinist versus Construction Manager, and which differences are large enough to influence a real decision.
Practical use of the comparison: read the data above, then drill into the individual Machinist and Construction Manager detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.