Which state pays machinery maintenance workers the most?

Wyoming, at a median of $84,620. After adjusting for prices, Wyoming is highest, at $91,293 in US-average prices.

What education do machinery maintenance workers need?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education to start. The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links 2 programs here to machinery maintenance workers: Heavy Equipment Maintenance (Associate's) and Heavy Equipment Maintenance (Certificate).

Machinery Maintenance Workers: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

60,020 jobs in the US
Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent
BLS title: Maintenance Workers, Machinery (49-9043)

BLS wages May 2025 · BLS projections 2025 to 2035 · BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

Machinery maintenance workers earn a median of $60,850 a year in the US, across all experience levels. Pay is highest in Wyoming ($84,620) and lowest in New Mexico ($36,240). After adjusting for prices, Wyoming is highest ($91,293) and New Mexico lowest ($39,301). Jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,400 openings a year across the US.

Median pay$60,850US, all experience levels

Bottom 10% earn under$42,000US

Top 10% earn over$88,550US

Projected job decline2%2025 to 2035, about 4,400 openings a year

Pay for machinery maintenance workers by state

Median pay across all experience levels. "After prices" divides it by the state's price level (US average = 100), so states can be compared by what the pay buys.

#	State	Median pay	After prices	Jobs	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
1	Wyoming	$84,620	$91,293	280	$60,740	$112,010
2	New Hampshire	$77,070	$73,988	130	$45,870	$83,890
3	Kentucky	$76,710	$85,083	2,920	$48,980	$162,460
4	Nevada	$75,500	$75,516	750	$45,350	$92,950
5	Rhode Island	$72,040	$70,434	110	$45,470	$83,780
6	California	$67,840	$61,272	4,130	$46,000	$93,440
7	New York	$67,610	$62,648	2,760	$47,880	$104,360
8	Virginia	$65,500	$64,785	1,420	$46,570	$95,300
9	South Carolina	$64,910	$69,238	960	$46,760	$79,060
10	Tennessee	$64,790	$70,524	800	$43,510	$83,480
11	Iowa	$64,760	$73,790	900	$49,640	$79,340
12	Wisconsin	$64,310	$68,346	420	$46,150	$79,740
13	Colorado	$64,010	$62,114	740	$47,880	$85,980
14	Missouri	$63,720	$70,163	2,180	$48,070	$84,430
15	Connecticut	$63,250	$61,046	410	$43,610	$99,500
16	Minnesota	$63,020	$63,901	730	$44,000	$82,030
17	Washington	$62,970	$58,843	700	$51,690	$94,420
18	Louisiana	$62,640	$71,015	1,410	$40,930	$92,510
19	District of Columbia	$62,520	$56,888	80	$47,270	$62,550
20	Alaska	$61,290	$59,877	40	$49,720	$103,760
21	Nebraska	$61,190	$67,911	650	$44,140	$77,320
22	Pennsylvania	$61,080	$62,600	1,260	$45,740	$98,840
23	Utah	$60,850	$61,549	1,180	$42,580	$79,700
24	North Carolina	$60,580	$64,224	4,750	$42,540	$78,230
25	Alabama	$60,560	$68,181	420	$46,680	$77,510
26	Kansas	$60,160	$66,794	1,040	$45,040	$78,500
27	West Virginia	$60,020	$67,064	790	$38,370	$88,750
28	Michigan	$59,590	$61,933	1,640	$41,400	$78,890
29	Maryland	$59,570	$56,755	1,870	$40,020	$77,730
30	Illinois	$59,300	$59,325	560	$43,190	$92,060
31	Ohio	$59,280	$63,897	2,330	$38,330	$85,400
31	Texas	$59,280	$61,078	8,800	$38,440	$90,650
33	Oklahoma	$58,970	$67,131	1,530	$38,740	$76,530
34	New Jersey	$57,920	$53,233	310	$38,800	$72,480
35	Georgia	$57,730	$59,952	2,900	$38,950	$81,990
36	Oregon	$57,440	$55,572	430	$43,210	$88,920
37	Idaho	$56,250	$58,904	170	$43,190	$84,370
38	Arizona	$56,130	$55,753	440	$43,710	$80,940
39	Massachusetts	$55,000	$52,006	320	$41,400	$77,930
40	Mississippi	$54,380	$62,540	450	$36,120	$72,820
41	Arkansas	$53,250	$61,251	770	$41,410	$73,750
42	Maine	$52,300	$53,890	490	$45,930	$70,200
43	Florida	$51,900	$50,187	2,830	$40,370	$83,670
44	Indiana	$48,760	$52,245	1,780	$44,230	$72,550
45	South Dakota	$45,240	$51,069	50	$32,460	$60,530
46	Puerto Rico	$37,870	Not available	360	$23,980	$61,350
47	New Mexico	$36,240	$39,301	Not reported	$36,240	$73,580

State names link to the state's college page. Puerto Rico has no BEA price level, so its pay is not adjusted. BLS publishes no median pay for machinery maintenance workers in Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, and Vermont.

Programs that lead to this job

The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links these programs to machinery maintenance workers. Figures are medians across each program type's US programs. Program names link to the national ranking.

Program	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
Heavy Equipment Maintenance (Associate's)	27	$55,532	$12,000
Heavy Equipment Maintenance (Certificate)	45	$49,247	$9,375

Program figures are first-year pay for new graduates. The job's median pay covers every experience level.

Common questions

Machinery maintenance workers earn a median of $60,850 a year in the US, across all experience levels (May 2025). The bottom 10% earn less than $42,000, and the top 10% more than $88,550.

About this data

Pay is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. It covers all experience levels and all industries, and leaves out self-employed workers.
Projections are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035, for the whole US.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.
Program figures are College Scorecard medians across programs, and only include students who received federal financial aid.

Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study files, June 2026 release