How much do industrial mechanics make in 2026?
Industrial mechanics fall inside the BLS industrial machinery mechanics series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 49-9041 national median as $64,520 a year ($31.02 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $46,120 and the top 10% at $95,170. The series is broad, and it is worth separating two kinds of work inside it. Routine plant repair — replacing worn components and returning equipment to service — sits around the middle. Millwright-type work sits above it: setting and levelling machinery on foundations, precision shaft alignment with laser and dial indicators, coupling and gearbox rebuild, laying out and installing new production lines, and machine relocation. That work is judged against tolerances measured in thousandths, and errors show up months later as bearing failures, so it is priced accordingly. The highest earnings in the occupation come from combining precision skill with contract and turnaround work — travelling millwrights on plant installations and outages routinely earn above the top decile through hours and per diem rather than base rate. Employment is projected to grow 16.1% through 2034 with roughly 45,700 openings a year. → Full industrial mechanic career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $64,520 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Industrial Mechanics earn a national median $64,520/yr ($31.02/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-9041); the P10 to P90 range is $46,120 to $95,170.
- Industrial mechanic pay comes from SOC 49-9041, a broad series whose $46,120 to $95,170 band contains both routine plant repair and precision millwright work.
- Precision skills — laser shaft alignment, levelling and grouting machinery, gearbox and coupling rebuild — are what lift a mechanic from mid-band to the upper quarter.
- Contract and travelling millwright work on installations and turnarounds produces the highest annual earnings in the occupation, largely through hours and per diem rather than base rate.
US Industrial Mechanic Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do industrial mechanics 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 49-9041; 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 49-9041, 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 industrial mechanic earn at each career stage?
Industrial mechanic pay rises with precision capability and the size of machinery you can be trusted to install. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 49-9041.
By State
Which states pay industrial mechanics the most in 2026?
The state estimates below are modeled — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Installation-side work concentrates where capital projects are: states winning new manufacturing plants generate millwright demand well beyond what their general wage index implies, and that demand is temporary by nature.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($74,200), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay industrial mechanics the most?
Metro estimates are modeled: national median times state wage index times published metro index, not BLS MSA observations. For travelling millwrights the metro figure matters less than the project — pay on a plant installation is set by the contractor's agreement and per diem, not by the local labour market.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an industrial mechanic’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 industrial mechanic pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Industrial Mechanics 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 industrial mechanic wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an industrial mechanic 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
Industrial Mechanic Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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