Median pay for industrial machinery mechanics runs from $31,260 in Mayaguez to $96,950 in Longview-Kelso — a 3.1× range across 523 metropolitan areas. The national median of $64,520 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of industrial machinery mechanics earn below $46,120 and ten per cent above $95,170 — a 2.06× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 48%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
Longview-Kelso (WA) leads and Mayaguez (PR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longview-Kelso WA | $96,950 | $46.61 | 4.79 | 560 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna WV | $93,670 | $45.03 | 1.93 | 200 |
| Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area | $91,760 | $44.11 | 2.57 | 740 |
| Kokomo IN | $91,470 | $43.98 | 2.38 | 240 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $91,330 | $43.91 | 1.25 | 130 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $90,580 | $43.55 | 0.38 | 2,550 |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic CT | $89,830 | $43.19 | 0.64 | 230 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $89,620 | $43.09 | 1.12 | 300 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $88,240 | $42.42 | 0.61 | 230 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $84,620 | $40.68 | 0.29 | 920 |
| Wichita KS | $83,540 | $40.17 | 2.83 | 2,470 |
| Duluth MN-WI | $83,380 | $40.09 | 1.3 | 460 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $83,080 | $39.94 | 0.51 | 90 |
| Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area | $82,870 | $39.84 | 1.06 | 130 |
| Great Falls MT | $82,620 | $39.72 | 0.91 | 90 |
| Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $82,190 | $39.51 | 7.23 | 1,320 |
| Napa CA | $81,320 | $39.10 | 0.82 | 180 |
| Helena MT | $81,290 | $39.08 | 0.46 | 60 |
| Urban Honolulu HI | $81,120 | $39.00 | 0.57 | 720 |
| Balance of Nevada nonmetropolitan area | $81,090 | $38.99 | 1.34 | 340 |
| East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area | $80,940 | $38.91 | 0.96 | 160 |
| Lexington Park MD | $80,810 | $38.85 | 0.35 | 70 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $79,920 | $38.42 | 0.78 | 4,600 |
| Albany OR | $79,730 | $38.33 | 2.89 | 390 |
| Bay City MI | $78,960 | $37.96 | 2.17 | 210 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayaguez PR | $31,260 | $15.03 | 1.09 | 160 |
| Ponce PR | $36,440 | $17.52 | 3.88 | 700 |
| Guayama PR | $36,860 | $17.72 | 1.29 | 50 |
| Aguadilla PR | $37,690 | $18.12 | 0.86 | 120 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $39,510 | $19.00 | 1.49 | 120 |
| Arecibo PR | $39,610 | $19.04 | 1.34 | 130 |
| Salisbury MD | $41,810 | $20.10 | 1.2 | 180 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $44,420 | $21.35 | 0.85 | 1,660 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL | $45,280 | $21.77 | 0.71 | 490 |
| East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $48,090 | $23.12 | 3.8 | 730 |
Midland has 7.62× the national concentration of industrial machinery mechanics — the densest market in the country for this role, with 2,630 employed locally. Pay there is $60,420, which does not put it near the top of the pay table. Concentration and compensation are different things — a dense market is easier to get hired in and easier to move around within, but the competition that makes it dense also caps what employers need to offer.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midland TX | $60,420 | $29.05 | 7.62 | 2,630 |
| Odessa TX | $60,190 | $28.94 | 7.28 | 1,660 |
| Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $82,190 | $39.51 | 7.23 | 1,320 |
| Decatur AL | $76,990 | $37.02 | 5.47 | 950 |
| Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $57,920 | $27.84 | 5.38 | 2,320 |
| Tuscaloosa AL | $62,990 | $30.28 | 5.19 | 1,590 |
| Dalton GA | $55,050 | $26.46 | 4.93 | 910 |
| West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $71,380 | $34.32 | 4.86 | 1,200 |
| Longview-Kelso WA | $96,950 | $46.61 | 4.79 | 560 |
| Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $55,060 | $26.47 | 4.36 | 830 |
| Lewiston ID-WA | $55,910 | $26.88 | 4.33 | 350 |
| West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area | $67,930 | $32.66 | 4.03 | 1,470 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $63,180 | $30.38 | 1.97 | 18,360 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $63,380 | $30.47 | 1.11 | 12,730 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $75,260 | $36.18 | 0.4 | 10,780 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $75,800 | $36.44 | 0.68 | 8,710 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $72,090 | $34.66 | 0.48 | 8,500 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI | $71,100 | $34.19 | 1.21 | 6,520 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $62,000 | $29.81 | 0.75 | 6,120 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $70,340 | $33.82 | 0.67 | 5,500 |
| Cincinnati OH-KY-IN | $70,640 | $33.96 | 1.66 | 5,150 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $78,710 | $37.84 | 1.41 | 4,830 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia NC-SC | $65,530 | $31.51 | 1.22 | 4,690 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $79,920 | $38.42 | 0.78 | 4,600 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 49-9041. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 523 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.