How Much Does a Millwright Make? (2024)
Industrial · SOC Code 49-9044 · 4-year apprenticeship
The average millwright earns $72,209 per year ($35/hour) as of 2024, according to BLS data. Yearly income ranges from $50,560 to $110,830 depending on city, with entry-level workers earning about $40,780 and top earners making $146,310+.
Yes — top-decile millwrights clear $100K in 12 of 29 metros
The 90th-percentile millwright in San Francisco, CA earns $146,310 per year ($70/hour). Reaching that tier typically takes journeyman-to-master progression plus union membership, specialization, or running a small contracting business. Median millwright pay nationally is $72,209 — the $100K mark is the high-earner ceiling, not the middle.
National Salary Range
Millwright salaries range from $50,560 to $110,830 median across cities, depending on location, union membership, and experience level.
Millwright Salary by City
| City | Median | Range (10th-90th) | COL-Adjusted | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $110,830 | $40,780 – $146,310 | $58,332 | C | 410 |
| New York, NY | $86,020 | $47,500 – $117,260 | $46,000 | D | 360 |
| Seattle, WA | $84,140 | $60,540 – $164,060 | $56,470 | C | 410 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $84,010 | $56,180 – $128,670 | $50,608 | C | 730 |
| Detroit, MI | $83,860 | $63,700 – $90,050 | $94,225 | B | 1,330 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $83,800 | $59,440 – $93,570 | $87,292 | B | 170 |
| Chicago, IL | $83,180 | $45,760 – $117,480 | $77,738 | C | 1,290 |
| Denver, CO | $81,600 | $52,440 – $100,620 | $63,750 | C | 0 |
| St. Louis, MO | $75,990 | $47,260 – $98,410 | $84,433 | C | 200 |
| Kansas City, MO | $75,870 | $49,000 – $94,900 | $80,713 | C | 920 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $75,710 | $57,680 – $93,520 | $83,198 | C | 420 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $74,130 | $62,480 – $85,370 | $69,934 | C | 290 |
| Columbus, OH | $73,760 | $51,390 – $93,500 | $79,312 | C | 170 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $72,620 | $60,500 – $99,790 | $69,827 | C | 70 |
| New Orleans, LA | $68,970 | $56,950 – $106,510 | $72,600 | C | 110 |
| Portland, OR | $68,340 | $49,300 – $107,140 | $52,569 | C | 240 |
| Houston, TX | $67,760 | $44,140 – $120,190 | $70,583 | C | 800 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $66,340 | $49,130 – $107,100 | $57,687 | C | 300 |
| Boston, MA | $65,470 | $48,530 – $77,350 | $43,072 | D | 0 |
| Miami, FL | $64,740 | $49,830 – $74,810 | $53,066 | C | 0 |
| Nashville, TN | $64,440 | $39,060 – $72,730 | $62,563 | C | 270 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $63,990 | $48,260 – $78,580 | $61,529 | C | 150 |
| Charlotte, NC | $63,780 | $49,160 – $80,340 | $65,082 | C | 310 |
| Dallas, TX | $63,000 | $38,830 – $90,130 | $61,765 | C | 710 |
| Atlanta, GA | $62,610 | $46,800 – $73,260 | $59,066 | C | 920 |
| San Antonio, TX | $61,920 | $37,860 – $116,230 | $68,800 | C | 250 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $58,980 | $47,920 – $82,200 | $64,109 | C | 210 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $57,650 | $47,870 – $105,440 | $55,971 | C | 760 |
| Tampa, FL | $50,560 | $46,450 – $62,840 | $50,059 | C | 70 |
About Millwright Pay
Millwrights earn a national median salary of $72,209 based on 2024 BLS occupational wage data. The highest-paying city for this trade is San Francisco at $110,830 median, while Tampa offers the lowest at $50,560.
Becoming a millwright typically requires a 4-year apprenticeship program. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) can expect around $40,780, while master-level tradespeople (90th percentile) earn $146,310 or more. With 6% wage growth over the past 5 years, this trade is growing at a steady pace.
See how this compares to other trades on our highest paying trades ranking, or browse the best cities for trade workers.
Thinking about becoming a millwright?
Step-by-step path: 4-year apprenticeship, certifications, state licensing, and apprentice-to-master pay timeline.
Related Industrial Trades
Frequently Asked Questions
The average millwright salary is $72,209 per year ($35/hour) based on 2024 BLS OEWS data. Average yearly income ranges from $50,560 to $110,830 depending on city, experience, and union status.
Millwrights earn an average hourly wage of $35/hour based on a 2,080-hour work year. Entry-level (10th percentile) hourly pay is about $20/hour, while top earners (90th percentile) make $70/hour or more.
San Francisco offers the highest median pay for millwrights at $110,830. However, cost of living matters, the COL-adjusted pay may tell a different story. Check our city-by-city breakdown above.
With a Trade Pay Score of C and 6% wage growth over 5 years, millwright offers steady career prospects. There are approximately 11,870 jobs nationwide across 29 metro areas.
Becoming a millwright typically requires a 4-year apprenticeship program combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Entry-level pay starts around $40,780 (10th percentile).
Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024. Trade Pay Scores are a composite of median wage vs. metro income, wage growth, job demand, and COL-adjusted pay.
The this entity record above pulls directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. skilled-trade wage data distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
Every number on this page links back to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. trades, cities, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.