Statewide pay Government data
Machinists in Alabama earn a statewide median of $55,560 a year, 3% below the typical U.S. metro, ranking #40 of 50 states and DC. About 5,170 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Alabama
See all states on the machinists nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes machinist pay for 12 Alabama metros. The highest-paying is Florence at $82,690, followed by Huntsville and Mobile.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| FlorenceALABAMA · AL | $82,690 | $97,492 | 160 |
| HuntsvilleALABAMA · AL | $62,490 | $67,142 | 670 |
| MobileALABAMA · AL | $62,020 | $70,399 | 380 |
| AnnistonALABAMA · AL | $61,480 | $71,531 | 240 |
| DaphneALABAMA · AL | $60,590 | $63,988 | 140 |
| DecaturALABAMA · AL | $58,240 | $66,780 | 290 |
| MontgomeryALABAMA · AL | $53,460 | $59,611 | 410 |
| TuscaloosaALABAMA · AL | $50,850 | $57,967 | 110 |
| BirminghamALABAMA · AL | $50,780 | $55,410 | 1,110 |
| DothanALABAMA · AL | $50,740 | $60,525 | 90 |
| GadsdenALABAMA · AL | $48,370 | $56,472 | 80 |
| AuburnALABAMA · AL | $47,840 | $54,405 | 80 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Alabama's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 26,100 openings a year. Typical training: long-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, machinists have 108 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.3× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
What the work is like Government data
How often machinists deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Registered apprenticeships Government data
Of machinist apprentices in Alabama who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 53% completed (U.S.: 61%), about 10 graduates a year. The typical program runs 8,000 hours, about 4 years of full-time work. Search open registered programs near you on the official Apprenticeship Finder.
U.S. Department of Labor, RAPIDS apprentice records (Completion Rate Analysis), FY2020–2024 exits.
Serious injuries & deaths reported to OSHA Government data
From 2015 to 2024, machine shops in Alabama filed 12 severe injury reports (a hospital stay, amputation or loss of an eye), 7 of them involving an amputation. The most common cause was contact with objects and equipment (83% of reports). These cover everyone at those employers, not only machinists.
OSHA Severe Injury Reports, January 2015–December 2024 (states under federal OSHA only).
Where to train in Alabama Government data
21 schools in Alabama offer precision metal working (welding, machining, sheet metal) programs below the bachelor's level, 20 of them at public colleges. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
Where published, graduates earned a median of $33,184 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J F Ingram State Technical College Deatsville, AL · Public | Certificate | — | 278 | — |
| Northwest Shoals Community College Muscle Shoals, AL · Public | Certificate | $11,890 | 200 | — |
| George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville Hanceville, AL · Public | Certificate | $18,882 | 175 | — |
| Coastal Alabama Community College Bay Minette, AL · Public | Certificate | $18,994 | 116 | — |
| Gadsden State Community College Gadsden, AL · Public | Certificate | $10,254 | 100 | $31,784 |
| Lurleen B Wallace Community College Andalusia, AL · Public | Certificate | $14,920 | 93 | $33,843 |
| Bevill State Community College Jasper, AL · Public | Certificate | $13,775 | 85 | — |
| Southern Union State Community College Wadley, AL · Public | Certificate | $14,136 | 73 | — |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Licensing in Alabama Official source
The main state licensing office in Alabama is the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors. Electrical, HVAC and plumbing have their own state boards. It can point you to the right license for machinists.
Official Alabama licensing site ↗
Requirements for machinists vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 6.3% of wage and salary workers in Alabama were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#31 of 51 states and D.C.), and 7.2% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only machinists.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Alabama
All trades in Alabama.