Skilled Wages

Machinist salary in Texas

Median $28.45 an hour for 21,700 machinists, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$28.45/hrMedian hourly wageTexas, May data
$59,180/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.56 – $39.9410th to 90th percentilehourly range
21,700Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Machinist pay in Texas: the full range

Wage percentiles, TexasMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrTexas: 10th $18.56 · 25th $22.90 · median $28.45 · 75th $33.56 · 90th $39.94Texas$28.45$18.56$39.94United States: 10th $18.85 · 25th $22.87 · median $28.24 · 75th $32.55 · 90th $38.47United States$28.24
Hourly wage percentiles for machinists: Texas vs United States, May 2025.

Texas ranks 24th of 51 states for median machinist pay, and 28th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $29.30). 21,700 machinists work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$18.56 – $22.90$38,600 – $47,630roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$22.90 – $33.56$47,630 – $69,800the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$33.56 – $39.94$69,800 – $83,070the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Machinist pay by metro in Texas

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrCorpus Christi: $34.42Corpus Christi$34.42Houston: $29.46Houston$29.46Dallas-Fort Worth: $28.76Dallas-Fort Worth$28.76Beaumont: $28.75Beaumont$28.75Odessa: $28.74Odessa$28.74Austin: $28.38Austin$28.38Midland: $28.27Midland$28.27Tyler: $27.97Tyler$27.97Abilene: $27.00Abilene$27.00College Station: $26.71College Station$26.71San Antonio: $25.57San Antonio$25.57Wichita Falls: $25.38Wichita Falls$25.38
Median hourly wage for machinists by metro area in Texas, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Corpus Christi$20.57$34.42$48.1430021% above
Houston$19.21$29.46$39.178,1404% above
Dallas-Fort Worth$19.28$28.76$39.394,6601% above
Beaumont$21.37$28.75$49.655201% above
Odessa$19.67$28.74$37.573801% above
Austin$20.07$28.38$37.331,210about the same as
Midland$19.26$28.27$36.172701% below
Tyler$17.29$27.97$37.01802% below
Abilene$17.52$27.00$34.12605% below
College Station$18.79$26.71$31.93906% below
San Antonio$18.11$25.57$40.4575010% below
Wichita Falls$18.49$25.38$40.3313011% below
Killeen$17.33$24.24$29.9413015% below
Waco$17.71$24.22$46.0725015% below
Sherman$16.01$23.90$35.6216016% below
San Angelo$18.25$23.85$34.5310016% below
Texarkana$16.28$23.71$32.7314017% below
Brownsville$17.10$23.54$33.2012017% below
Victoria$18.03$23.28$41.206018% below
Longview$15.60$23.25$32.9669018% below
McAllen$12.26$23.19$32.2511018% below
Lubbock$17.47$22.97$34.8016019% below
El Paso$14.66$22.54$31.5636021% below
Amarillo$16.18$20.14$38.5536029% below

Machinist wages in Texas over time

Texas, 1999-2025TexasUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30$35200020052010201520202025$28.45Texas$28.24United States
Median hourly wage for machinists, Texas vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearTexas $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$12.84$24.81$14.3025,530
2000$13.48$25.20$14.7829,080
2001$14.18$25.78$15.4328,020
2002$14.26$25.52$15.6626,950
2003$14.59$25.53$15.9126,640
2004$14.63$24.93$16.3325,040
2005$15.08$24.86$16.5126,990
2006$15.13$24.16$16.7130,740
2007$14.96$23.23$16.9435,550
2008$15.60$23.33$17.4135,220
2009$16.93$25.41$18.1032,500
2010$18.09$26.71$18.5228,660
2011$18.19$26.03$18.8630,600
2012$18.59$26.07$18.9933,710
2013$18.59$25.69$19.0333,480
2014$18.99$25.82$19.2234,690
2015$19.00$25.81$19.4933,440
2016$20.30$27.23$20.0526,450
2017$20.93$27.49$20.4823,760
2018$21.91$28.09$20.9726,050
2019$21.54$27.12$21.3628,590
2020$22.43$27.90$22.0426,040
2021$22.88$27.18$22.9521,610
2022$23.43$25.77$23.3218,170
2023$23.85$25.20$24.4418,990
2024$26.94$27.65$27.0020,770
2025$28.45$28.45$28.2421,700

In today's dollars, the median machinist wage in Texas changed by +10.2% over the last ten years of data.

Is construction work growing in Texas?

929.9kConstruction jobsTexas, 2026-08
+2.2%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026200k400k600k800k1,000k19901995200020052010201520202025930kAug 2026
Construction employment in Texas (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Machinist pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Texas

Questions this page answers

How much do machinists make in Texas?

The median machinist in Texas earned $28.45 an hour ($59,180 a year) in May 2025, 1% above the national median of $28.24. The middle half earn $22.90–$33.56; the top 10% earn more than $39.94.

Where does Texas rank for machinist pay?

Texas ranks 24th of 51 states for machinist pay, with a median of $28.45 an hour, and 28th after adjusting for Texas's cost of living (BEA price parity 97.1, US = 100).

What is the union machinist rate in Texas?

Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a machinist classification for most Texas counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.

How many machinists work in Texas?

BLS counted 21,700 machinists in Texas in May 2025, 1.5 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.84; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Texas and metro areas, SOC 51-4041.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.