Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Machinist vs Sheet Metal Worker
Machinists earn a national median of $57,590 versus $67,236 for Sheet Metal Workers, a gap of $9,646 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Machinists have posted +-1% 5-year wage growth versus +4% for Sheet Metal Workers.
How These Trades Stack Up
Sheet Metal Workers out-earn Machinists on national median by $9,646 — $67,236 versus $57,590, or about 17% more. That gap reflects differences in apprenticeship length, certification requirements, industry concentration, and union footprint between the two trades.
Sheet Metal Workers have grown faster — +4% 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.
Both trades follow a 4-year apprenticeship pathway — paid on-the-job training combined with classroom instruction, registered through the U.S. Department of Labor at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/. Apprentice pay typically scales from roughly 40% of journeyman wage in year one to 95% by the final year.
Machinist
Metalwork · 4yr apprenticeship
Sheet Metal Worker
Metalwork · 4yr apprenticeship
City-by-City Comparison
| City | Machinist | Sheet Metal Worker | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | $73,790 | $102,680 | -$28,890 |
| San Francisco, CA | $66,320 | $98,140 | -$31,820 |
| Boston, MA | $63,600 | $69,040 | -$5,440 |
| Portland, OR | $62,350 | $77,950 | -$15,600 |
| New York, NY | $62,320 | $77,350 | -$15,030 |
| New Orleans, LA | $61,560 | $61,090 | +$470 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $61,040 | $63,390 | -$2,350 |
| Raleigh, NC | $61,040 | $51,610 | +$9,430 |
| St. Louis, MO | $60,850 | $82,150 | -$21,300 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $60,470 | $62,550 | -$2,080 |
| Denver, CO | $59,640 | $60,730 | -$1,090 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $59,500 | $81,140 | -$21,640 |
| Charlotte, NC | $59,260 | $52,870 | +$6,390 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $59,240 | $53,320 | +$5,920 |
| Miami, FL | $58,640 | $56,580 | +$2,060 |
| Houston, TX | $58,630 | $56,020 | +$2,610 |
| Chicago, IL | $57,470 | $97,970 | -$40,500 |
| Dallas, TX | $57,400 | $57,270 | +$130 |
| Detroit, MI | $57,240 | $61,750 | -$4,510 |
| Kansas City, MO | $54,380 | $81,500 | -$27,120 |
| San Antonio, TX | $53,010 | $54,830 | -$1,820 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $53,010 | $79,490 | -$26,480 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $52,920 | $46,800 | +$6,120 |
| Atlanta, GA | $52,810 | $49,630 | +$3,180 |
| Columbus, OH | $52,790 | $65,460 | -$12,670 |
| Tampa, FL | $50,830 | $48,770 | +$2,060 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $50,610 | $78,560 | -$27,950 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $50,050 | $63,830 | -$13,780 |
| Nashville, TN | $49,280 | $60,510 | -$11,230 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $47,640 | $64,100 | -$16,460 |
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 Sheet Metal Workers make more money?
Sheet Metal Workers earn more on national median — $67,236 versus $57,590, a gap of $9,646 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?
Sheet Metal Workers have posted faster wage growth at +4% 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. Sheet Metal Workers typically complete a 4-year registered apprenticeship. Programs are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
Which trade has better employment depth?
Machinists have 113,790 workers employed nationally; Sheet Metal Workers have 45,860. 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 Sheet Metal Worker 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 $67,236 for Sheet Metal Workers, a gap of $9,646 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Machinists have posted +-1% 5-year wage growth versus +4% for Sheet Metal Workers.
The side-by-side above pulls the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey data for both entity A and entity B. What follows is the interpretation — which specific axes carry the most weight for entity A versus entity B, and which differences are large enough to influence a real decision.
For households or analysts using this comparison as a decision input, the right framing is usually not "which is better" in aggregate but "which is better for the specific decision in front of you." the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey captures the raw data; the framing depends on whether the question is investment, residency, planning, or research.