Prepress Technicians and Workers
Median $48,690
Occupation · SOC 51-5112
Printing Press Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What printing press operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$45,780 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $47,360
- Median hourly wage
- $22.01
- Mean hourly wage
- $22.77
- Employment
- 144,260
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-5112.
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See where your pay falls among printing press operators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do printing press operators make?
The median annual wage for printing press operators was $45,780 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,330 and the highest-paid 10% more than $63,520. As an hourly rate, the median is $22.01. About 144,260 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($116,630), Massachusetts ($53,050) and New Jersey ($50,430). District of Columbia also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for printing press operators 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 | $33,330 | $16.03 | $2,778 | $2,413 |
| 25th percentile | $37,390 | $17.98 | $3,116 | $2,685 |
| Median | $45,780 | $22.01 | $3,815 | $3,247 |
| 75th percentile | $55,740 | $26.80 | $4,645 | $3,914 |
| 90th percentile | $63,520 | $30.54 | $5,293 | $4,435 |
Printing Press Operators: pay by state
53 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
$76,373 take-home in national prices
2
$44,040 take-home in national prices
3
$43,463 take-home in national prices
Where a median printing press operator 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 | 350 | $116,630 | $48,840 | $138,590 | $83,934 | $76,373 |
| Massachusetts | 2,110 | $53,050 | $39,430 | $75,310 | $42,129 | $39,836 |
| New Jersey | 4,180 | $50,430 | $37,900 | $77,550 | $41,060 | $37,737 |
| Washington | 2,310 | $49,800 | $39,660 | $70,030 | $41,503 | $38,784 |
| Oregon | 1,330 | $48,760 | $37,270 | $63,510 | $37,957 | $36,723 |
| Minnesota | 4,960 | $48,560 | $36,950 | $73,670 | $39,205 | $39,753 |
| New Hampshire | 680 | $48,410 | $34,790 | $69,780 | $41,077 | $39,435 |
| Kentucky | 2,470 | $48,000 | $34,920 | $63,720 | $39,186 | $43,463 |
| Colorado | 1,830 | $47,860 | $37,400 | $63,270 | $39,027 | $37,872 |
| New York | 6,700 | $47,860 | $34,910 | $69,880 | $38,410 | $35,591 |
| Maryland | 1,250 | $47,840 | $35,690 | $64,160 | $38,713 | $36,884 |
| Maine | 300 | $47,430 | $37,710 | $62,150 | $38,520 | $39,691 |
| Wisconsin | 8,120 | $47,330 | $36,980 | $65,260 | $38,764 | $41,197 |
| Pennsylvania | 7,150 | $47,010 | $34,850 | $63,690 | $38,476 | $39,434 |
| Arkansas | 1,760 | $46,470 | $28,540 | $64,060 | $38,287 | $44,040 |
| Alaska | 170 | $46,460 | $30,660 | $65,440 | $39,278 | $38,373 |
| Vermont | 190 | $46,460 | $37,040 | $70,990 | $38,388 | $39,188 |
| Illinois | 9,550 | $46,260 | $31,450 | $66,250 | $37,205 | $37,220 |
| Missouri | 3,460 | $46,130 | $32,560 | $66,640 | $38,015 | $41,859 |
| California | 12,320 | $46,110 | $36,580 | $63,910 | $37,803 | $34,143 |
| Ohio | 7,500 | $45,760 | $32,430 | $60,600 | $38,133 | $41,103 |
| Connecticut | 1,610 | $45,670 | $36,080 | $64,880 | $36,842 | $35,559 |
| North Carolina | 3,910 | $45,630 | $29,600 | $62,010 | $37,532 | $39,789 |
| Hawaii | 350 | $45,390 | $29,120 | $64,700 | $36,731 | $33,407 |
| Rhode Island | 510 | $45,380 | $40,360 | $71,780 | $37,059 | $36,233 |
| Michigan | 5,110 | $45,280 | $31,190 | $63,220 | $36,889 | $38,339 |
| Indiana | 4,820 | $45,230 | $34,820 | $61,330 | $37,218 | $39,878 |
| South Dakota | 460 | $44,930 | $33,980 | $63,800 | $38,281 | $43,214 |
| Delaware | 210 | $44,600 | $35,160 | $59,530 | $36,039 | $36,109 |
| Virginia | 3,210 | $44,020 | $30,530 | $64,020 | $35,833 | $35,442 |
| Nevada | 1,360 | $43,500 | $36,300 | $62,800 | $37,132 | $37,140 |
| Tennessee | 3,510 | $43,160 | $30,870 | $58,310 | $36,859 | $40,121 |
| Arizona | 2,400 | $42,950 | $35,800 | $60,700 | $36,010 | $35,768 |
| Texas | 9,110 | $42,550 | $29,540 | $61,160 | $36,369 | $37,472 |
| Montana | 300 | $42,220 | $31,200 | $57,990 | $34,876 | $36,849 |
| Nebraska | 2,140 | $42,070 | $36,670 | $59,190 | $34,949 | $38,787 |
| Kansas | 2,640 | $41,890 | $27,980 | $58,410 | $34,301 | $38,083 |
| Georgia | 4,220 | $41,520 | $28,860 | $60,690 | $34,218 | $35,535 |
| West Virginia | 470 | $41,200 | $25,780 | $65,220 | $34,203 | $38,217 |
| Florida | 7,060 | $41,180 | $30,490 | $60,130 | $35,268 | $34,104 |
| Utah | 1,970 | $41,030 | $31,200 | $61,200 | $33,991 | $34,382 |
| Iowa | 2,070 | $40,790 | $30,130 | $59,190 | $34,057 | $38,806 |
| Wyoming | 90 | $40,760 | $27,750 | $60,570 | $34,931 | $37,685 |
| South Carolina | 2,100 | $40,470 | $29,490 | $59,010 | $34,188 | $36,468 |
| Idaho | 610 | $38,650 | $30,240 | $56,510 | $32,295 | $33,819 |
| Mississippi | 670 | $38,400 | $25,920 | $60,010 | $32,230 | $37,066 |
| North Dakota | 270 | $37,850 | $30,700 | $57,100 | $32,592 | $36,638 |
| Louisiana | 870 | $37,650 | $26,580 | $58,090 | $31,689 | $35,925 |
| New Mexico | 250 | $37,110 | $30,440 | $58,230 | $31,369 | $34,019 |
| Oklahoma | 1,140 | $36,760 | $26,700 | $50,440 | $30,608 | $34,844 |
| Alabama | 2,160 | $36,670 | $24,260 | $55,830 | $30,162 | $33,957 |
| Guam | 100 | $32,240 | $21,840 | $41,630 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 520 | $26,100 | $21,840 | $47,930 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-5112. *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.