Printing Press Operators
Median $45,780
Occupation · SOC 51-5111
Prepress Technicians and Workers: pay and where the jobs are
What prepress technicians and workers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$48,690 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $50,800
- Median hourly wage
- $23.41
- Mean hourly wage
- $24.43
- Employment
- 23,840
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-5111.
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See where your pay falls among prepress technicians and workers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do prepress technicians and workers make?
The median annual wage for prepress technicians and workers was $48,690 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $35,810 and the highest-paid 10% more than $66,080. As an hourly rate, the median is $23.41. About 23,840 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($100,980), Maryland ($60,770) and Massachusetts ($57,250). District of Columbia also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for prepress technicians and workers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,810 | $17.22 | $2,984 | $2,579 |
| 25th percentile | $40,930 | $19.68 | $3,411 | $2,922 |
| Median | $48,690 | $23.41 | $4,058 | $3,442 |
| 75th percentile | $58,580 | $28.16 | $4,882 | $4,104 |
| 90th percentile | $66,080 | $31.77 | $5,507 | $4,606 |
Prepress Technicians and Workers: pay by state
46 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$67,565 take-home in national prices
2
$49,621 take-home in national prices
3
$46,929 take-home in national prices
Where a median prepress technicians and worker paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 180 | $100,980 | $85,820 | $116,630 | $74,255 | $67,565 |
| Maryland | 480 | $60,770 | $37,970 | $75,980 | $48,488 | $46,197 |
| Massachusetts | 460 | $57,250 | $44,890 | $83,620 | $45,275 | $42,810 |
| New Jersey | 880 | $56,840 | $45,150 | $77,860 | $45,829 | $42,120 |
| Vermont | 40 | $55,880 | $49,690 | $58,610 | $45,641 | $46,593 |
| Nevada | 130 | $55,680 | $33,280 | $66,210 | $46,919 | $46,929 |
| Oregon | 230 | $54,360 | $41,940 | $71,390 | $41,992 | $40,627 |
| California | 2,020 | $53,860 | $38,870 | $76,420 | $43,485 | $39,275 |
| Washington | 380 | $53,770 | $39,050 | $69,880 | $44,638 | $41,713 |
| Arkansas | 160 | $52,800 | $34,140 | $73,290 | $43,139 | $49,621 |
| New York | 1,110 | $52,420 | $37,310 | $71,270 | $41,808 | $38,740 |
| Montana | 40 | $51,910 | $38,340 | $54,460 | $42,207 | $44,595 |
| Colorado | 150 | $51,730 | $40,760 | $71,040 | $41,950 | $40,707 |
| Georgia | 320 | $50,280 | $37,480 | $65,580 | $40,820 | $42,391 |
| North Carolina | 600 | $49,760 | $39,260 | $63,060 | $40,685 | $43,133 |
| Illinois | 680 | $49,450 | $38,290 | $77,000 | $39,610 | $39,627 |
| Minnesota | 2,880 | $49,130 | $40,430 | $65,570 | $39,622 | $40,176 |
| Pennsylvania | 910 | $49,100 | $36,080 | $61,190 | $40,090 | $41,088 |
| Virginia | 330 | $49,100 | $32,230 | $62,960 | $39,623 | $39,190 |
| Indiana | 670 | $49,050 | $36,670 | $63,290 | $40,174 | $43,046 |
| Connecticut | 430 | $48,780 | $35,900 | $84,910 | $39,186 | $37,820 |
| New Hampshire | 120 | $48,580 | $34,180 | $59,770 | $41,214 | $39,566 |
| Wisconsin | 1,160 | $48,410 | $38,020 | $66,090 | $39,579 | $42,063 |
| Ohio | 1,070 | $47,810 | $33,920 | $62,030 | $39,724 | $42,818 |
| Tennessee | 640 | $47,790 | $33,790 | $60,160 | $40,579 | $44,170 |
| Iowa | 210 | $47,770 | $31,210 | $63,280 | $39,400 | $44,894 |
| Maine | 50 | $47,350 | $43,190 | $61,320 | $38,461 | $39,630 |
| Idaho | 50 | $47,220 | $31,000 | $55,250 | $38,727 | $40,554 |
| Michigan | 540 | $46,960 | $38,340 | $61,650 | $38,167 | $39,668 |
| South Dakota | 50 | $46,370 | $29,760 | $64,590 | $39,438 | $44,520 |
| Rhode Island | Not published | $45,930 | $42,710 | $86,050 | $37,474 | $36,639 |
| South Carolina | 200 | $45,900 | $30,060 | $59,050 | $38,333 | $40,889 |
| Missouri | 510 | $45,860 | $29,210 | $62,620 | $37,810 | $41,634 |
| Kentucky | 1,130 | $45,830 | $37,240 | $58,250 | $37,518 | $41,613 |
| Oklahoma | 80 | $45,730 | $22,400 | $57,250 | $37,412 | $42,589 |
| Florida | 840 | $45,660 | $34,000 | $59,440 | $38,868 | $37,585 |
| Kansas | 520 | $45,290 | $34,490 | $64,630 | $36,843 | $40,906 |
| Utah | 210 | $44,230 | $35,720 | $62,620 | $36,378 | $36,796 |
| Nebraska | 400 | $40,930 | $40,930 | $58,830 | $34,084 | $37,828 |
| New Mexico | 30 | $39,830 | $30,520 | $65,540 | $33,438 | $36,262 |
| Arizona | 210 | $38,830 | $35,460 | $65,900 | $32,803 | $32,582 |
| Texas | 2,320 | $38,410 | $30,590 | $57,210 | $33,042 | $34,044 |
| Louisiana | 90 | $38,060 | $29,450 | $61,620 | $32,006 | $36,285 |
| West Virginia | 50 | $35,320 | $28,380 | $53,400 | $29,664 | $33,145 |
| Alabama | 130 | $35,020 | $28,400 | $46,060 | $28,910 | $32,548 |
| Puerto Rico | 120 | $33,030 | $25,160 | $38,360 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-5111. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.