Side-by-side distribution
Machinist
$78,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 37.5%
- Live roles
- 128
Quality Control
$50,960
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 29.6%
- Live roles
- 71
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
Quality Control Inspector
Quality Control Inspector
Quality Control Technician
Line Maintenance Quality Control Inspector - $800 monthly stipend + $10,000 Bonus!
Technician, Quality Control
Quality Control Inspector
Quality Control Inspector
Repair & Quality Control Technician
Quality Control Field Technician (Contract)
Quality Control Technician
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Trexon
|
$45,240 | 6 |
|
Xometry
|
$81,750 | 2 |
|
Thorlabs
|
$42,442 | 2 |
| IE Industrial Electric Manufacturing | $85,998 | 1 |
|
Breeze Airways™
|
$81,120 | 1 |
|
F.H. Paschen
|
$80,000 | 1 |
|
Osmo
|
$74,000 | 1 |
|
TechFlow, Inc.
|
$65,000 | 1 |
Machinist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $78,000 | 5 |
Machinist vs Quality Control: which pays more?
The median for Machinist is $78,000 per year (typically $61,880–$87,880), versus $50,960 for Quality Control ($44,615–$68,750). That puts Machinist about 53% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Machinist and Quality Control 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.