SOC 51-4041 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Machinists — Indiana
Indiana · 10 metro areas compared
The median wage for Machinists in Indiana is $57,800 per year, close to the national median of $58,750 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow more slowly than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- 0.0%
- Openings per year
- 29,500
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Indiana.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Machinists in Indiana is $57,800 per year, close to the national median of $58,750 for the same occupation. Half of workers earn between $47,870 and $62,440. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $39,400 and the ninetieth at $73,500.
Employment stands at 14,320, or 4.5 jobs per thousand held locally. Indiana ranks number 34th out of 51 states by median pay for this occupation. Within the state, Lafayette records the highest median at $62,220. Of the 753 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 379th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $39,400 | −32.9% |
| 25th | $47,870 | −18.5% |
| Median (50th) | $57,800 | −1.6% |
| 75th | $62,440 | +6.3% |
| 90th | $73,500 | +25.1% |
| Mean | $56,590 | −3.7% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Indiana
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lafayette | $62,220 | 720 | |
| 2 | Columbus | $61,230 | 1,470 | |
| 3 | Evansville | $58,410 | 190 | |
| 4 | Terre Haute | $54,160 | 240 | |
| 5 | Fort Wayne | $53,770 | 1,030 | |
| 6 | South Bend | $51,990 | 630 | |
| 7 | Michigan City | $51,700 | 140 | |
| 8 | Indianapolis | $50,610 | 3,540 | |
| 9 | Elkhart | $49,910 | 590 | |
| 10 | Muncie | $48,360 | 150 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Indiana run 6.7% below the national average, so the median of $57,800 goes as far as $61,951 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 5.4% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$57,800as reported by BLSLocal price level
93.3US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$61,951US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $57,800 a year, 1.6% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $39,400 to $73,500 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 14,320 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 34th of 51 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Lafayette, at $62,220.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Machinists in Indiana?
The median annual wage is $57,800, or $27.79 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $58,750, so pay in Indiana is 1.6% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Indiana earns more than $73,500 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $39,400 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Lafayette, at $62,220 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 14,320 jobs in this occupation in Indiana. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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