Side-by-side distribution
Machinist
$31.00/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 50.3%
- Live roles
- 877
Quality Assurance
$107,425
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 30.5%
- Live roles
- 860
Highest-paying jobs
CNC Machinist
CNC Machinist Trainer
Gear Machinist
CNC Machinist/Programmer
CNC Machinist
Senior CNC Programmer & Machinist, 5-Axis
Lead CNC Machinist (PM Shift)
CNC Mill-Turn Machinist
Senior Composite CNC Programmer/Machinist
Machinist 1st Shift
Highest-paying jobs
QA/QC Manager (Construction)
QA/QC Manager
Software Quality Assurance Manager 2
Software Quality Assurance Specialist/Applications Tester – TS/SCI w/ Poly
Manager, QA Method Validation
Sr. Quality Manager - Process Assurance
Sr. Quality Manager - Customer Assurance
Sr. Quality Manager - Design Assurance
Senior Manager Quality Assurance, Medical Device (Sustaining)
Senior Manager Quality Assurance, Drug Product (Filling)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Moog
|
$62,400 | 36 |
| WO Woodward | $57,470 | 22 |
SpaceX
|
$54,470 | 22 |
Caterpillar
|
$66,321 | 20 |
Curtiss-Wright
|
$64,480 | 17 |
| GV GE Vernova | $69,991 | 16 |
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$70,300 | 14 |
Regal Rexnord
|
$58,240 | 14 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Regeneron
|
$98,050 | 17 |
Bristol Myers Squibb
|
$112,467 | 10 |
Cardinal Health
|
$92,425 | 10 |
Gilead Sciences
|
$129,090 | 8 |
|
GDIT
|
$169,479 | 6 |
Abbott
|
$149,000 | 5 |
| NO Novartis | $128,000 | 5 |
CACI
|
$139,400 | 4 |
Machinist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $107,760 | 6 |
| Los Angeles | $78,000 | 5 |
| New York | $61,486 | 8 |
Quality Assurance salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $151,500 | 3 |
| Chicago | $129,438 | 7 |
| Atlanta | $113,633 | 5 |
| New York | $111,000 | 6 |
| Toronto | $100,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $92,500 | 3 |
Machinist vs Quality Assurance: which pays more?
The median for Machinist is $31.00/hr per year (typically $27.07/hr–$36.54/hr), versus $107,425 for Quality Assurance ($80,750–$137,500). That puts Quality Assurance about 67% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Machinist and Quality Assurance 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.