SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-4111 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Tool and Die Makers — Milwaukee

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI · 10 metro areas compared

$68,120 /year
$32.75per hour
830jobs in area
+6.4%vs US median

At $68,120, median pay for Tool and Die Makers in Milwaukee, WI tracks the national median of $64,050 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $64,05010TH$47,75025TH$59,920MEDIAN$68,12075TH$78,65090TH$83,380

How pay has moved

$72,080$48,3202019202020212022202320242025$68,120
$52,280 in 2019 to $68,120 in 2025, +30.3% 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 decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-10.8%
Openings per year
4,700
Typical entry-level education
Postsecondary nondegree award
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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI.

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

At $68,120, median pay for Tool and Die Makers in Milwaukee, WI tracks the national median of $64,050 closely. Pay ranges from under $47,750 at the tenth percentile to more than $83,380 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $59,920 to $78,650.

Employment stands at 830, or 1.0 jobs per thousand held locally. Within the state, Sheboygan records the highest median at $75,490. Of the 593 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 246th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$47,750−25.4%
25th$59,920−6.4%
Median (50th)$68,120+6.4%
75th$78,650+22.8%
90th$83,380+30.2%
Mean$68,260+6.6%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Wisconsin

Median annual wage for Tool and Die Makers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Sheboygan$75,490220
2Appleton$73,01080
3Racine$69,69080
4Madison$65,900150
5La Crosse$65,23050
6Green Bay$64,11030
7Oshkosh$63,72070
8Wausau$63,57060
9Eau Claire$63,25060
10Kenosha$62,55030

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Milwaukee run 3.1% below the national average, so the median of $68,120 goes as far as $70,299 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 9.8% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$68,120as reported by BLS

Local price level

96.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$70,299US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $68,120 a year, 6.4% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $47,750 to $83,380 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 830 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Sheboygan, at $75,490.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Tool and Die Makers in Milwaukee, WI?

The median annual wage is $68,120, or $32.75 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 $64,050, so pay in Milwaukee, WI is 6.4% 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 Milwaukee, WI earns more than $83,380 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $47,750 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 Sheboygan, at $75,490 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 830 jobs in this occupation in Milwaukee, WI. 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.