Machinists Salary in St. Louis, MO (2024)
Machinists in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earn a median of $60,850 per year ($29.25 per hour) based on 5,640 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +8.4% against the national median of $56,150 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where machinists actually sit across the pay range in St. Louis, MO, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.53 | $44,780 | |
| 25th percentile | $26.83 | $55,800 | |
| Median | $29.25 | $60,850 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $38.33 | $79,730 | |
| 90th percentile | $38.33 | $79,730 | |
| Average (mean) | $31.17 | $64,840 |
How St. Louis, MO compares
The local median of $60,850 runs +8.4% above the US median of $56,150 for this occupation; it pays 26.0% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($48,290); within the metro it ranks 290th of 653 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO — this occupation | $60,850 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $56,150 | +8.4% |
| St. Louis, MO — all occupations | $48,290 | +26.0% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $74,780 | -18.6% |
St. Louis, MO has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 2.17 means the job is roughly 217% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 3.8%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 290th of 653 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in St. Louis, MO
To put $60,850 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 290th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Pediatricians, General | $211,070 | 110 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $199,990 | — |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $192,070 | 310 |
| Physicists | $180,450 | 50 |
| Chief Executives | $172,600 | 1,840 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $161,450 | 520 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $156,210 | 180 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $155,100 | 1,160 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $154,760 | 4,680 |
| Financial Managers | $140,240 | 6,890 |
Where machinists earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $49,620 to $74,780. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $74,780 | 950 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $73,790 | 4,270 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $66,320 | 2,000 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $63,650 | 2,430 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $63,600 | 5,210 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $62,350 | 2,470 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $62,320 | 4,460 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $61,290 | 720 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $60,850 | 5,640 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $60,470 | 11,340 |
See the full national picture on the Machinists salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for machinists in St. Louis, MO?
The median annual wage is $60,850, or $29 per hour. That means half of the machinists working in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $64,840.
What do the highest and lowest paid machinists in St. Louis, MO earn?
The bottom 10% earn $44,780 or less, while the top 10% earn $79,730 or more — a spread of $34,950 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $55,800 and $79,730.
Is machinists pay in St. Louis, MO above the local average?
Yes, it is 26.0% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $48,290. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does St. Louis, MO pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $60,850 the metro median is 8.4% higher than the US median of $56,150 for machinists. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $49,620 to $74,780.
How many machinists work in St. Louis, MO?
BLS counts about 5,640 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 4.21 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. St. Louis, MO has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 2.17 means the job is roughly 217% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 7.8%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.