Side-by-side distribution
Machinist
$78,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 37.5%
- Live roles
- 128
Manufacturing Engineer
$147,750
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 53.8%
- Live roles
- 929
Highest-paying jobs
CNC Programmer & Machinist (3- Axis & 5-Axis Okuma)
Senior CNC Programmer & Machinist, 5-Axis
Machinist
CNC Machinist
Senior CNC Machinist
Senior Mill-Turn Machinist
CNC Machinist (Mill & Lathe)
Machinist III
Diamond Turning Machinist (Starlink) - Level 4/5
Diamond Turning Machinist (Starshield) - Level 4/5
Highest-paying jobs
Research Engineer, Production Model Post-Training
Software Engineer, Production Engineering
Principal Production Engineer
Software Engineer, Production Engineering
Sr. Staff Production Engineer - Data Platform
Staff Site Reliability Engineer, Production Engineering
Manufacturing Design Engineer (NPI & Robotics)
Manufacturing Software Test Engineer
Principal Software Engineer, Manufacturing Systems
Software Engineer, Manufacturing Test Systems
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
SpaceX
|
$54,080 | 17 |
Burnout Brands
|
$79,040 | 3 |
Thorlabs
|
$68,640 | 3 |
|
Kairos Power
|
$106,600 | 2 |
|
Rennscot MFG
|
$98,070 | 2 |
Mach Industries
|
$71,240 | 2 |
Freeform
|
$70,200 | 2 |
|
Space Kinetic
|
$130,000 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$170,000 | 130 |
Relativity Space
|
$144,500 | 33 |
Archer
|
$171,100 | 15 |
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$135,000 | 11 |
mthree Recruiting Portal
|
$55,750 | 10 |
Hadrian Automation
|
$152,500 | 9 |
|
SpaceX
|
$108,750 | 9 |
Fluidstack
|
$217,500 | 8 |
Machinist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $78,000 | 5 |
Manufacturing Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $217,500 | 13 |
| Austin | $217,500 | 11 |
| New York | $184,500 | 23 |
| San Francisco | $184,500 | 34 |
| Chicago | $175,000 | 7 |
| Boston | $172,500 | 8 |
| Atlanta | $146,500 | 7 |
| Los Angeles | $145,000 | 32 |
| Denver | $121,000 | 4 |
Machinist vs Manufacturing Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Machinist is $78,000 per year (typically $61,880–$87,880), versus $147,750 for Manufacturing Engineer ($121,533–$170,000). That puts Manufacturing Engineer about 89% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Machinist 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.