Machinists in the Cleveland area earn a median of $58,240 a year, 2% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #151 of 361 metros for machinists nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Monroe, but less in Akron.
It's one of 12 Ohio metros with published pay for this trade; see machinist pay in Ohio.
Machinist pay in Cleveland at a glance
- Machinists in the Cleveland, OH metro earn a median $58,240 a year ($28.00 an hour), #151 of 361 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $38,070 and $77,190.
- After local prices, that median buys what $62,008 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,039 a month, 21% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among machinists in Cleveland.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for machinists here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and above average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (4.0%) and the population is shrinking (-0.8% since 2020).
Cleveland scorecard for machinists Our calculation
Grades compare Cleveland 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).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Cleveland Our calculation
Prices in the Cleveland area run 6% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $62,008 would in a typical place, ranking #132 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 cost-of-living budget for Cleveland 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 Ohio Official source
The main state licensing office in Ohio is the Ohio Department of Commerce. Home of the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board. It can point you to the right license for machinists.
Official Ohio 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 OH metros for machinists
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ToledoOHIO · OH | $62,190 | $68,001 | 1,140 |
| DaytonOHIO · OH | $59,050 | $63,704 | 1,360 |
| ClevelandOHIO · OH | $58,240 | $62,008 | 3,980 |
| ColumbusOHIO · OH | $57,940 | $60,690 | 1,150 |
| CincinnatiOHIO · OH | $57,300 | $60,082 | 2,890 |
| SanduskyOHIO · OH | $57,170 | $64,034 | 170 |
| CantonOHIO · OH | $57,040 | $63,799 | 450 |
| AkronOHIO · OH | $56,380 | $60,383 | 1,090 |
| MansfieldOHIO · OH | $54,540 | $61,369 | 210 |
| LimaOHIO · OH | $53,950 | $60,166 | 120 |
See every metro in Ohio.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Cleveland area's unemployment rate was 4.0% in 2025 (all workers, not just machinists), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.8% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Cleveland 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, 2% take transit and 14% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Cleveland area's population shrank 0.8% from 2020 to 2025 (2,184,166 → 2,165,775), ranking #329 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Cleveland are roughly flat from 2024 to 2025 (4,289 → 4,174).
In 2025 the Cleveland area approved permits for 4,174 new homes (2,866 single-family), or 1.9 per 1,000 residents, ranking #301 of 393 metros.
Where to train near Cleveland Government data
5 schools in or near Cleveland 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 $42,775 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Technical College Cleveland, OH · Private for-profit | Certificate | $38,957 | 64 | $41,248 |
| Ohio Technical College Cleveland, OH · Private for-profit | Associate degree | $38,957 | 42 | $44,302 |
| Ashtabula County Technical and Career Campus Jefferson, OH · Public | Certificate | $17,165 | 28 | — |
| Auburn Career Center Concord Twp, OH · Public | Certificate | $12,122 | 23 | — |
| Lakeland Community College Kirtland, OH · Public | Certificate | $8,982 | 11 | — |
| Cuyahoga Community College District Cleveland, OH · Public | Certificate | $10,949 | 7 | — |
| Lakeland Community College Kirtland, OH · Public | Associate degree | $8,982 | 5 | — |
| Cuyahoga Community College District Cleveland, OH · Public | Associate degree | $10,949 | 0 | — |
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 $58,240 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 Cleveland with another city →
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ToolCleveland budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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.