SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-4194 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners — Ohio

Ohio · 2 metro areas compared

$56,690 /year
$27.25per hour
190jobs in area
+13.2%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in Ohio comes to $56,690 a year, ahead of the national median of $50,060 by 13.2%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $50,06010TH$40,45025TH$48,580MEDIAN$56,69075TH$68,36090TH$91,890

How pay has moved

$63,413$32,0182019202020212022202320242025$56,690
$37,250 in 2019 to $56,690 in 2025, +52.2% 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 decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-7.8%
Openings per year
500
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Moderate-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 Ohio.

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

Median pay for this occupation in Ohio comes to $56,690 a year, ahead of the national median of $50,060 by 13.2%. Pay ranges from under $40,450 at the tenth percentile to more than $91,890 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $48,580 to $68,360.

Employment stands at 190, or 0.0 jobs per thousand held locally. Ohio ranks number 4th out of 35 states by median pay for this occupation. Within the state, Dayton records the highest median at $64,350. Of the 774 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 417th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Ohio · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$40,450−19.2%
25th$48,580−3.0%
Median (50th)$56,690+13.2%
75th$68,360+36.6%
90th$91,890+83.6%
Mean$60,000+19.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Highest-paying metro areas in Ohio

Median annual wage for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Dayton$64,35030
2Cincinnati$44,17040

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Ohio run 7.2% below the national average, so the median of $56,690 goes as far as $61,088 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 22.0% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$56,690as reported by BLS

Local price level

92.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$61,088US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $56,690 a year, 13.2% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $40,450 to $91,890 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 190 jobs in this occupation.
  • It ranks 4th of 35 states for this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Dayton, at $64,350.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners in Ohio?

The median annual wage is $56,690, or $27.25 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 $50,060, so pay in Ohio is 13.2% 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 Ohio earns more than $91,890 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $40,450 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 Dayton, at $64,350 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 190 jobs in this occupation in Ohio. 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.