Side-by-side distribution
CNC Operator
$31.00/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 41.3%
- Live roles
- 670
Manufacturing Engineer
$125,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 40.5%
- Live roles
- 3,334
Highest-paying jobs
Sr. Principal CNC Programmer
CNC Machinist (1st Shift)
CNC Programmer
CNC Machinist/Programmer
Lead Design CNC Programmer/Operator
CNC Programmer/ Manufacturing Engineer- Machining
CNC Machinist (Multiple Shifts)
CNC Mill-Turn Machinist
Lead CNC Machinist (PM Shift)
CNC Programmer
Highest-paying jobs
Research Engineer, Production Model Post-Training
Manufacturing Engineer III (Controls Technician)
Software Engineer, Manufacturing Infrastructure
Production Support Engineer - Trading Systems
Risk and Pnl Production Support Engineer
Manufacturing Quality Engineer, Data Center Power & Cooling
Product Engineer - Manufacturing Operations
Manufacturing Engineer - Data Center Hardware
Internal Acceleration, Engineer (Production)
Member of Technical Staff, Production Site Reliability Engineer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Regal Rexnord
|
$61,360 | 14 |
SpaceX
|
$52,000 | 13 |
Caterpillar
|
$66,498 | 9 |
| GV GE Vernova | $85,635 | 8 |
Graco
|
$67,912 | 8 |
Mitsubishi Chemical Group
|
$67,600 | 8 |
Jabil
|
$66,508 | 8 |
| WO Woodward | $52,182 | 8 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$167,000 | 191 |
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$110,650 | 82 |
Blue Origin
|
$110,222 | 42 |
Relativity Space
|
$130,000 | 41 |
|
SpaceX
|
$115,000 | 38 |
Applied Materials
|
$93,250 | 28 |
| GV GE Vernova | $109,200 | 21 |
Abbott
|
$106,700 | 20 |
CNC Operator salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $98,186 | 4 |
| Los Angeles | $84,240 | 4 |
| New York | $63,800 | 6 |
Manufacturing Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $204,000 | 45 |
| New York | $174,000 | 44 |
| Los Angeles | $152,500 | 53 |
| Atlanta | $142,750 | 10 |
| Denver | $140,000 | 5 |
| Seattle | $134,471 | 51 |
| Chicago | $130,000 | 8 |
| Singapore | $124,800 | 5 |
| Austin | $114,000 | 29 |
| Toronto | $108,300 | 3 |
CNC Operator vs Manufacturing Engineer: which pays more?
The median for CNC Operator is $31.00/hr per year (typically $25.00/hr–$36.69/hr), versus $125,000 for Manufacturing Engineer ($100,000–$157,504). That puts Manufacturing Engineer about 94% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so CNC Operator and Manufacturing Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.