How much do millwrights make in 2026?
Millwrights earn a national median of $65,700 a year ($31.59 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 49-9044), with the bottom 10% at about $46,290 and the top 10% at $93,600. This is an exact occupational match, and the band is comparatively narrow for an industrial trade — which reflects a small, specialised occupation where nearly everyone is doing recognisably similar work. That work is machinery installation and precision alignment: setting pumps, turbines, gearboxes, conveyors and presses to thousandths of an inch using laser and dial-indicator methods, and diagnosing vibration and coupling problems afterwards. The premium sits with alignment and vibration analysis skill and with outage availability, because millwrights are central to planned plant shutdowns that run continuous shifts with per-diem. Employment is projected to hold flat through 2034 with roughly 3,600 openings a year, so this is a replacement-demand trade rather than a growing one. → Full millwright career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $65,700 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Millwrights earn a national median $65,700/yr ($31.59/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-9044); the P10 to P90 range is $46,290 to $93,600.
- The millwright code is an exact match with a comparatively narrow $46,290 to $93,600 band, reflecting a small and consistently specialised occupation.
- Precision alignment — laser and dial-indicator setting of rotating machinery to thousandths of an inch — is the skill that distinguishes millwrights from general mechanics.
- Outage and shutdown availability plus vibration analysis or reliability certification are the routes toward the $81,500 P75 and above.
US Millwright Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do millwrights 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 49-9044; 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 49-9044, 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 a millwright earn at each career stage?
Millwright pay follows precision skill, machinery breadth and outage work. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 49-9044.
By State
Which states pay millwrights the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Millwright demand follows heavy industry: paper and pulp, steel, automotive, food processing, cement and power generation. There is no state licence for the trade, so millwrights are highly mobile and often follow outage calendars across state lines, which is why per-diem and travel are so prominent in annual earnings.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($75,560), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay millwrights the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a millwright’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 millwright pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Millwrights 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 millwright wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a millwright 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
Millwright Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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