SOC 51-4111 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Tool and Die Makers — West Virginia
West Virginia
The median wage for Tool and Die Makers in West Virginia is $46,190 per year, substantially below the national median of $64,050 — a gap of 27.9%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
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 West Virginia.
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 Tool and Die Makers in West Virginia is $46,190 per year, substantially below the national median of $64,050 — a gap of 27.9%. Half of workers earn between $44,890 and $62,350. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $35,410 and the ninetieth at $65,840.
The area has 40 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.1 of every thousand jobs. West Virginia ranks number 45th out of 45 states by median pay for this occupation. Of the 618 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 385th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $35,410 | −44.7% |
| 25th | $44,890 | −29.9% |
| Median (50th) | $46,190 | −27.9% |
| 75th | $62,350 | −2.7% |
| 90th | $65,840 | +2.8% |
| Mean | $50,880 | −20.6% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in West Virginia run 10.5% below the national average, so the median of $46,190 goes as far as $51,609 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 19.4% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$46,190as reported by BLSLocal price level
89.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$51,609US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $46,190 a year, 27.9% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $35,410 to $65,840 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 40 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 45th of 45 states for this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Tool and Die Makers in West Virginia?
The median annual wage is $46,190, or $22.21 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 West Virginia is 27.9% 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 West Virginia earns more than $65,840 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $35,410 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.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 40 jobs in this occupation in West Virginia. 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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