CNC machining salary: $154K median
The median advertised CNC machining salary is $154K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $132K to $178K: counted from 554 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $74 an hour or $12,875 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $215K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll CNC machining jobs
$154Kmedian advertised salary
$132K – $178Kmiddle half of roles
$161Kaverage advertised salary
554roles counted
CNC machining salary by level
Lead roles advertise a median of $213K, 24% more than senior roles ($172K). The level comes from the job title; titles without a level word are counted separately.
| Level | Median salary | Middle half | Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | $172K | $160K–$184K | 154 |
| Lead and above | $213K | $176K–$230K | 75 |
| No level in the title | $140K | $116K–$155K | 316 |
CNC machining salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸New York, NY | $215K | 43 |
| 🇺🇸San Francisco Bay Area | $190K | 45 |
| 🇺🇸United States | $155K | 540 |
| 🇺🇸California | $155K | 373 |
| 🇺🇸Seattle, WA | $134K | 21 |
| 🇺🇸Los Angeles, CA | $133K | 134 |
Skills that pay more for CNC machining roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python | $171K | +$16K | 85 |
| Soldering | $170K | +$16K | 73 |
| Sensor fusion | $170K | +$16K | 164 |
| Security clearance | $170K | +$16K | 119 |
| Computer Vision | $170K | +$16K | 164 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | $272K | 3 |
| Sesame | $228K | 3 |
| Shield AI | $220K | 7 |
| Confido | $218K | 38 |
| Applied | $210K | 4 |
| Mill | $198K | 15 |
| AssetWatch, Inc. | $195K | 4 |
| Skydio | $194K | 9 |
| Oura | $190K | 5 |
| Archer | $188K | 4 |
| Harbinger Motors Inc. | $180K | 4 |
| Portal Space Systems | $175K | 4 |
| Anduril Industries | $170K | 163 |
| Astranis | $165K | 7 |
| 1X | $164K | 11 |
| K2 Space | $164K | 4 |
| Cowboyspace | $164K | 16 |
| Senra Systems | $158K | 3 |
| Apex Technology | $148K | 3 |
| Lucid Motors | $146K | 3 |
| Varda Space Industries | $146K | 11 |
| General Matter | $145K | 7 |
| Rocket Lab | $143K | 14 |
| Amca | $141K | 4 |
| Vast | $141K | 16 |
Highest-paying open CNC machining roles
All CNC machining jobs- VP, Data EngineeringConfido · 🇺🇸NYC Office$350K - $450KLead and aboveSQLAirflowdbt
- Enterprise Account ExecutiveConfido · 🇺🇸NYC Office$300K - $350KAccounts receivableCNC machiningProspecting
- Head of Mechanical Strategic Supply ChainAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$260K - $345KLead and aboveComputer VisionSecurity clearancePerformance management
- Senior Manager, Hardware Design EngineeringSkydio · 🇺🇸San Mateo, California, United States$230K - $325KSeniorMechatronicsRF engineeringCAD
- Mechanical Design Engineer, Motor Design & PrototypingOpenAI · 🇺🇸San Francisco$225K - $318KHybridMechatronicsCADCNC machining
- Mechanical Engineer, Dynamometer and Actuator Testing InfrastructureOpenAI · 🇺🇸San Francisco$225K - $318KHybridMechatronicsTest equipmentCAD
- Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering - DroneApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$225K - $310KSeniorCADAviationCNC machining
- Mechanical Engineer - Active CoolingCowboyspace · 🇺🇸Kent, Washington$100K - $300KPower AutomateControl systemsHigh-performance computing
- Mechanical EngineerSunday · 🇺🇸Redwood City, CA$150K - $300KCADCNC machiningSolidWorks
- Director of Manufacturing Engineering, EWAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Irvine, California, United States$220K - $292KLead and aboveComputer VisionSecurity clearanceERP
- Hardware Integration and Test EngineerRai · 🇺🇸Cambridge, MA$126K - $289KRustPythonLinux
- Fabrication Shop ManagerSesame · Bellevue$175K - $280KOpticsCNC machiningGD&T
- Manufacturing Mechanical EngineerSesame · 🇺🇸San Francisco$175K - $280KHardware testingCADCNC machining
- Principal M&P Engineer, MetallicsArcher · 🇺🇸San Jose, California, United States$219K - $274KLead and aboveAWSTest planningPRDs
- Director, Mechanical SourcingOura · 🇺🇸Hybrid - San Francisco, California$231K - $272KHybridLead and aboveProcurementCNC machiningMedical devices
- Senior Product Design EngineerSkydio · 🇺🇸San Mateo, California, United States$196K - $270KSeniorMechatronicsRF engineeringCAD
- Staff Supplier Development Engineer - Structures & Welding (R5984)Shield AI · 🇺🇸Seattle, WA, US$178K - $267KLead and aboveAWSSecurity clearanceSix Sigma certification
- Staff Supplier Development Engineer - Mechanical (R5984)Shield AI · 🇺🇸Dallas, TX, US$178K - $267KLead and aboveERPCADProcurement
- Sr. Full Stack Software Engineer (Components)SpaceX · 🇺🇸Hawthorne, CA$165K - $265KSeniorPythonJavaScriptReact
- Principal Manufacturing Engineer (Propulsion)Varda Space Industries · 🇺🇸El Segundo, California, United States$182K - $263KLead and aboveTest equipmentCNC machiningBlueprint reading
Questions about CNC machining pay
- What is the average CNC machining salary?
- $161K a year on average and $154K at the median, across 554 open CNC machining postings at companies that state pay (November 2026). The median is the better guide: a few very high offers pull the average up.
- What is the typical range?
- The middle half of the postings offer $132K to $178K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest CNC machining pay?
- OpenAI ($272K), Sesame ($228K), Shield AI ($220K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is a cnc machining a high-paying job?
- The median CNC machining posting advertises $154K a year, less than the median of all 55,899 job postings with pay on Jobs Every Hour ($174K). That is 11% below the middle of the market.
- How much can you earn as a cnc machining?
- A tenth of the postings offer $215K a year or more; the highest open CNC machining role advertises up to $450K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the CNC machining salary per hour and per month?
- The median of $154K a year is about $74 an hour (2,080 working hours) and $12,875 a month before tax. The middle half of postings: $64 to $85 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for CNC machining roles?
- Postings that ask for Python (+$16K, 85 postings), Soldering (+$16K, 73 postings), Sensor fusion (+$16K, 164 postings) advertise more than the $154K median of all CNC machining postings with pay.
- What does an entry-level cnc machining make?
- 9 junior and intern CNC machining postings state pay, with a median of $100K a year ($48 an hour).
- Where do these figures come from?
- From the pay ranges employers print in their own job postings, read from their careers pages every hour. The midpoint of each range is counted. These are advertised ranges for open roles, mostly in the United States and in US dollars, not what people are actually paid.
Writing about this? A sentence you can quote
The median advertised salary for CNC machining roles at companies is $154K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $132K to $178K. Counted from 554 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/cnc-machining/
Free to use with the link.