Machinists in the Santa Cruz area earn a median of $51,420 a year, 10% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #263 of 361 metros for machinist pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in San Jose and San Francisco, but less in Merced.
It's one of 22 California metros with published pay for this trade; see machinists across California.
Machinist pay in Santa Cruz at a glance
- Machinists in the Santa Cruz, CA metro earn a median $51,420 a year ($24.72 an hour), #263 of 361 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $38,650 and $92,140.
- After local prices, that median buys what $46,790 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $3,390 a month, 79% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among machinists in Santa Cruz.
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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 (6.3%) and the population is shrinking (-4.7% since 2020).
Santa Cruz scorecard for machinists Our calculation
Grades compare Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz area went from $57,370 in 2020 to $51,420 in 2025, down 10.4%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -28.5% — 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 Santa Cruz Our calculation
Prices in the Santa Cruz area run 10% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $46,790 would in a typical place, ranking #354 of 359 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
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.
Want the full picture? Build a monthly budget for Santa Cruz from this pay, local rent and prices.
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 Santa Cruz area's unemployment rate was 6.3% in 2025 (all workers, not just machinists), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Santa Cruz area is 27 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 21% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 68% drive alone, 2% take transit and 13% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Santa Cruz area's population shrank 4.7% from 2020 to 2025 (271,758 → 258,852), ranking #387 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -13,414).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Santa Cruz are down 21% from 2021 to 2025 (598 → 470).
In 2025 the Santa Cruz area approved permits for 470 new homes (163 single-family), or 1.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #310 of 393 metros.
Where to train near Santa Cruz Government data
6 schools in or near Santa Cruz offer precision metal working (welding, machining, sheet metal) programs below the bachelor's level, 4 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 $40,502 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CET-Watsonville Watsonville, CA · Private nonprofit | Certificate | $21,045 | 34 | $40,502 |
| De Anza College Cupertino, CA · Public | Certificate | $13,034 | 26 | — |
| San Jose City College San Jose, CA · Public | Certificate | $25,157 | 13 | — |
| Cabrillo College Aptos, CA · Public | Certificate | $27,981 | 7 | — |
| De Anza College Cupertino, CA · Public | Associate degree | $13,034 | 6 | — |
| Foothill College Los Altos Hills, CA · Public | Associate degree | $11,966 | 4 | — |
| San Jose City College San Jose, CA · Public | Associate degree | $25,157 | 2 | — |
| Foothill College Los Altos Hills, CA · Public | Certificate | $11,966 | 1 | — |
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.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $51,420 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. 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 Santa Cruz with another city →
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ToolSanta Cruz budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Santa Cruz metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Santa Cruz against every other metro for machinists. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.
Report a data issue on this page
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for machinists as a separate industry, so that section is left out.