Machinists in the San Luis Obispo area earn a median of $53,510 a year, 6% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #234 of 361 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Santa Maria and Salinas, but less in Bakersfield.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for machinists here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and in the bottom 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.4%) and the population is growing slowly (+0.0% since 2020).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
San Luis Obispo scorecard for machinists Our calculation
Grades compare San Luis Obispo with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($57,050).
Pay over time
The median pay for machinists in the San Luis Obispo area went from $47,930 in 2020 to $53,510 in 2025, up 11.6%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -11.0% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in San Luis Obispo Our calculation
Prices in San Luis Obispo run 9% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $49,274 would in a typical place, ranking #342 of 359 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What machinists do
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.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments, such as micrometers or vernier calipers.
- Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, shapers, or grinders.
- Measure, examine, or test completed units to check for defects and ensure conformance to specifications, using precision instruments, such as micrometers.
- Set up, adjust, or operate basic or specialized machine tools used to perform precision machining operations.
- Program computers or electronic instruments, such as numerically controlled machine tools.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, machinist jobs are projected to grow 1.0% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 26,100 openings a year. About 0% are self-employed.
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.
Licensing in California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for machinists.
Official California licensing site ↗
Requirements for machinists vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
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.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying CA metros for machinists
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $67,750 | $58,601 | 1,610 |
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $63,540 | $57,542 | 1,370 |
| San DiegoCALIFORNIA · CA | $61,420 | $54,895 | 2,180 |
| VallejoCALIFORNIA · CA | $59,850 | $55,172 | 150 |
| Santa MariaCALIFORNIA · CA | $58,690 | $53,944 | 130 |
| SacramentoCALIFORNIA · CA | $57,900 | $54,280 | 600 |
| Yuba CityCALIFORNIA · CA | $56,820 | $54,512 | 30 |
| OxnardCALIFORNIA · CA | $56,530 | $51,143 | 540 |
| SalinasCALIFORNIA · CA | $56,490 | $51,806 | 90 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $56,200 | $52,141 | 230 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The San Luis Obispo area's unemployment rate was 4.4% in 2025 (all workers, not just machinists), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.5% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the San Luis Obispo area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 10% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 72% drive alone, 0% take transit and 14% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The San Luis Obispo area's population grew 0.0% from 2020 to 2025 (282,257 → 282,367), ranking #294 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +1,042) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in San Luis Obispo are down 41% from 2021 to 2025 (1,120 → 663).
In 2025 the San Luis Obispo area approved permits for 663 new homes (642 single-family), or 2.4 per 1,000 residents, ranking #264 of 393 metros.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $53,510 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get machinist pricing & estimate templates →Compare San Luis Obispo with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for machinists as a separate industry, so that section is left out.