How much do automation technicians make in 2026?
Automation technicians are counted in the BLS electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 17-3024 national median as $73,900 a year ($35.53 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $47,840 and the top 10% at $109,890. One caveat matters more than usual here: this is a very small occupational series, covering only about 15,520 workers nationally, while the number of people actually doing automation and controls work in manufacturing is far larger. Most are classified as industrial maintenance mechanics, electricians or technicians in other codes, so this series should be read as an indicator of automation technician pay rather than a comprehensive measurement of it. What the figures do capture reasonably is the shape of the work. Automation technicians install, commission, maintain and troubleshoot automated systems: programmable logic controllers, drives and motion control, sensors and instrumentation, human-machine interfaces, industrial networks and increasingly robotic cells. Pay follows depth: technicians who can only reset and replace sit in the lower half, while those who can read and modify controller logic, diagnose network and drive faults and commission new equipment sit well above the median. Industry adds the usual premium, with automotive, semiconductor, pharmaceutical and food processing paying above light manufacturing. Employment is projected to grow 1.1% through 2034 with roughly 1,300 openings a year. → Full automation technician career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $73,900 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Automation Technicians earn a national median $73,900/yr ($35.53/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-3024); the P10 to P90 range is $47,840 to $109,890.
- This BLS series is very small — about 15,520 workers — while far more people do automation work under maintenance, electrician and technician codes, so treat the figures as an indicator rather than a census.
- Depth drives the $47,840 to $109,890 spread: reset-and-replace technicians sit low, while those who read and modify controller logic and commission equipment sit well above the median.
- Automotive, semiconductor, pharmaceutical and food processing pay above light manufacturing for equivalent capability.
US Automation Technician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do automation technicians earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 17-3024; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-3024, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an automation technician earn at each career stage?
Automation pay follows diagnostic and programming depth. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 17-3024, a small series that understates the broader controls labour market.
By State
Which states pay automation technicians the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations, and they come from a small series. Automation pay follows the automation intensity of local plants far more than the state wage index does.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($84,990), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay automation technicians the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Highly automated plants are frequently located in industrial corridors and smaller cities rather than major metros.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an automation technician’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does automation technician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Automation Technicians sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify automation technician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an automation technician actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Automation Technician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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