Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Median $53,750
Occupation · SOC 51-4111
Tool and Die Makers: pay and where the jobs are
What tool and die makers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$64,050 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $66,860
- Median hourly wage
- $30.79
- Mean hourly wage
- $32.14
- Employment
- 56,930
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-4111.
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See where your pay falls among tool and die makers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do tool and die makers make?
The median annual wage for tool and die makers was $64,050 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $44,680 and the highest-paid 10% more than $92,680. As an hourly rate, the median is $30.79. About 56,930 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($109,390), Kansas ($83,890) and Maine ($79,910). Washington also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for tool and die makers 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 | $44,680 | $21.48 | $3,723 | $3,173 |
| 25th percentile | $51,490 | $24.75 | $4,291 | $3,629 |
| Median | $64,050 | $30.79 | $5,338 | $4,470 |
| 75th percentile | $78,770 | $37.87 | $6,564 | $5,354 |
| 90th percentile | $92,680 | $44.56 | $7,723 | $6,169 |
Tool and Die Makers: 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
$78,746 take-home in national prices
2
$71,019 take-home in national prices
3
$67,571 take-home in national prices
Where a median tool and die maker paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 1,510 | $109,390 | $58,560 | $116,850 | $84,268 | $78,746 |
| Kansas | 660 | $83,890 | $51,350 | $92,670 | $63,965 | $71,019 |
| Maine | 80 | $79,910 | $50,510 | $87,870 | $60,931 | $62,783 |
| Connecticut | 1,880 | $77,540 | $47,770 | $100,200 | $59,477 | $57,405 |
| California | 1,790 | $77,030 | $45,710 | $104,260 | $59,082 | $53,362 |
| New Jersey | 540 | $74,460 | $48,890 | $96,960 | $58,143 | $53,438 |
| Oregon | 300 | $73,930 | $44,780 | $110,590 | $55,414 | $53,613 |
| North Dakota | 70 | $73,130 | $60,330 | $82,270 | $60,110 | $67,571 |
| Minnesota | 1,150 | $71,020 | $49,510 | $93,230 | $55,174 | $55,946 |
| New Hampshire | 250 | $69,910 | $52,000 | $93,480 | $58,012 | $55,692 |
| Vermont | 140 | $69,300 | $50,480 | $106,640 | $55,513 | $56,670 |
| Nebraska | 360 | $69,150 | $49,680 | $83,140 | $55,210 | $61,275 |
| Wisconsin | 2,450 | $68,120 | $46,940 | $81,670 | $54,217 | $57,620 |
| New York | 1,270 | $68,080 | $48,700 | $94,730 | $53,320 | $49,406 |
| Indiana | 4,090 | $68,050 | $46,810 | $92,940 | $54,725 | $58,637 |
| Massachusetts | 850 | $67,230 | $47,200 | $93,810 | $52,676 | $49,808 |
| Kentucky | 1,900 | $66,570 | $46,570 | $90,150 | $53,450 | $59,284 |
| Oklahoma | 330 | $65,870 | $36,110 | $80,730 | $52,688 | $59,980 |
| Michigan | 9,420 | $65,590 | $46,930 | $92,910 | $52,345 | $54,403 |
| South Carolina | 870 | $65,250 | $41,920 | $80,990 | $52,598 | $56,105 |
| Iowa | 760 | $65,000 | $51,540 | $80,170 | $52,589 | $59,923 |
| Alabama | 690 | $64,800 | $45,520 | $80,430 | $51,527 | $58,010 |
| Virginia | 390 | $64,050 | $47,400 | $86,880 | $50,775 | $50,221 |
| Florida | 440 | $63,890 | $45,570 | $79,750 | $53,516 | $51,749 |
| Colorado | 160 | $63,800 | $43,540 | $94,110 | $51,064 | $49,551 |
| Rhode Island | 260 | $63,430 | $43,750 | $83,520 | $50,687 | $49,557 |
| Ohio | 5,520 | $62,280 | $42,080 | $84,840 | $50,953 | $54,921 |
| Nevada | 220 | $61,350 | $46,580 | $81,560 | $51,475 | $51,486 |
| Illinois | 5,220 | $61,170 | $39,490 | $82,520 | $48,447 | $48,467 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,380 | $61,160 | $46,010 | $78,090 | $49,402 | $50,631 |
| North Carolina | 1,580 | $61,060 | $43,770 | $79,180 | $49,314 | $52,281 |
| Missouri | 1,280 | $60,810 | $39,560 | $94,550 | $49,120 | $54,087 |
| Tennessee | 2,930 | $60,760 | $45,600 | $81,390 | $51,001 | $55,514 |
| Georgia | 850 | $60,020 | $44,920 | $78,810 | $48,160 | $50,014 |
| South Dakota | 60 | $59,770 | $43,830 | $69,940 | $50,205 | $56,674 |
| Arizona | 310 | $59,140 | $38,720 | $87,200 | $48,614 | $48,287 |
| Maryland | 70 | $58,110 | $37,110 | $81,120 | $46,477 | $44,281 |
| Mississippi | 300 | $57,980 | $40,090 | $76,540 | $47,180 | $54,259 |
| Idaho | 50 | $57,800 | $38,020 | $78,640 | $46,667 | $48,869 |
| Arkansas | 290 | $56,840 | $30,830 | $76,890 | $46,235 | $53,183 |
| Utah | 270 | $56,740 | $44,950 | $84,120 | $45,711 | $46,236 |
| Texas | 1,710 | $55,470 | $36,350 | $85,500 | $46,750 | $48,168 |
| New Mexico | 40 | $47,960 | $40,260 | $79,040 | $39,621 | $42,967 |
| Louisiana | 170 | $46,950 | $40,200 | $62,240 | $38,882 | $44,080 |
| West Virginia | 40 | $46,190 | $35,410 | $65,840 | $38,010 | $42,471 |
| Puerto Rico | 340 | $37,820 | $29,200 | $57,490 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-4111. *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.