SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-4041 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Machinists — Yakima

Yakima, WA · 9 metro areas compared

$59,560 /year
$28.63per hour
180jobs in area
+1.4%vs US median

The median wage for Machinists in Yakima, WA is $59,560 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

US MEDIAN $58,75010TH$43,66025TH$48,340MEDIAN$59,56075TH$73,26090TH$77,740

How pay has moved

$64,265$36,0352019202020212022202320242025$59,560
$40,740 in 2019 to $59,560 in 2025, +46.2% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

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 Yakima, WA.

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 Yakima, WA is $59,560 per year, close to the national median of $58,750 for the same occupation. Half of workers earn between $48,340 and $73,260. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $43,660 and the ninetieth at $77,740.

Employment stands at 180, or 1.8 jobs per thousand held locally. Within the state, Bremerton records the highest median at $80,620. Of the 292 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 146th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Yakima, WA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$43,660−25.7%
25th$48,340−17.7%
Median (50th)$59,560+1.4%
75th$73,260+24.7%
90th$77,740+32.3%
Mean$61,030+3.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Washington

Median annual wage for Machinists, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Bremerton$80,620370
2Seattle$74,5604,250
3Kennewick$68,060120
4Mount Vernon$66,280140
5Longview$63,190140
6Spokane$60,480520
7Bellingham$59,910150
8Olympia$55,660120
9Wenatchee$51,630130

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Yakima run 4.5% below the national average, so the median of $59,560 goes as far as $62,366 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 6.2% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$59,560as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$62,366US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $59,560 a year, 1.4% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $43,660 to $77,740 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 180 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Bremerton, at $80,620.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Machinists in Yakima, WA?

The median annual wage is $59,560, or $28.63 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 Yakima, WA is 1.4% higher. 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 Yakima, WA earns more than $77,740 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $43,660 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 Bremerton, at $80,620 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 180 jobs in this occupation in Yakima, WA. 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.