Side-by-side distribution
Machinist
$78,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 37.5%
- Live roles
- 128
Production Manager
$107,800
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 37.9%
- Live roles
- 311
Highest-paying jobs
CNC Programmer & Machinist (3- Axis & 5-Axis Okuma)
Senior CNC Programmer & Machinist, 5-Axis
Machinist
Senior CNC Machinist
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
Production Manager
Engineering Manager, Production Engineering
Sr. Manager - Production Engineering
Sr. Production Manager
Senior Manager, Production Engineering
Manager, Engineering (Production Orchestration)
Staff Technical Program Manager, Production
Project & Production Manager, Brand
Project Manager, Production Lines
Senior Technical Program Manager, Production Engineering
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
|
$149,500 | 15 |
LandCare
|
$72,500 | 10 |
J&J Snack Foods
|
$70,000 | 7 |
HelloFresh
|
$45,497 | 7 |
Gotion, Inc.
|
$123,750 | 6 |
|
Fluidstack
|
$203,000 | 5 |
Relativity Space
|
$162,000 | 3 |
Vast
|
$160,000 | 3 |
Machinist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $78,000 | 5 |
Production Manager salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $213,600 | 6 |
| Austin | $203,000 | 3 |
| New York | $127,500 | 11 |
| Los Angeles | $97,096 | 9 |
Machinist vs Production Manager: which pays more?
The median for Machinist is $78,000 per year (typically $61,880–$87,880), versus $107,800 for Production Manager ($83,606–$149,750). That puts Production Manager about 38% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Machinist and Production Manager 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.