Machinists in the Aguadilla area earn a median of $32,490 a year, 43% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #360 of 361 metros for machinist salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in San Juan.
It's one of 2 Puerto Rico metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide machinist pay.
Machinist pay in Aguadilla at a glance
- Machinists in the Aguadilla, PR metro earn a median $32,490 a year ($15.62 an hour), #360 of 361 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $24,840 and $53,040.
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $507 a month, 19% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
- About 40 machinists work in the metro.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for machinists here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros.
Aguadilla scorecard for machinists Our calculation
Grades compare Aguadilla with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers.
Pay over time
The median pay for machinists in the Aguadilla area went from $18,550 in 2020 to $32,490 in 2025, up 75.1%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +39.7% — a real raise.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
Rent in Aguadilla
Typical rent is $507 a month for a 1-bedroom and $613 for a 2-bedroom.
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 Puerto Rico Official source
Check with local authorities in Puerto Rico. Check with the building or licensing office where you plan to work.
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 PR metros for machinists
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| AguadillaPUERTO RICO · PR | $32,490 | — | 40 |
| San JuanPUERTO RICO · PR | $29,310 | — | 920 |
See every metro in Puerto Rico.
How much work is there? Government data
Getting to work
The average commute in the Aguadilla area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 13% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 79% drive alone, 0% take transit and 10% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
In 2025 the Aguadilla area approved permits for 716 new homes (519 single-family), or 2.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #234 of 393 metros.
Where to train near Aguadilla Government data
1 school in or near Aguadilla offers precision metal working (welding, machining, sheet metal) programs below the bachelor's level. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automeca Technical College-Aguadilla Aguadilla, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $14,241 | 21 | — |
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 $32,490 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.
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ToolAguadilla budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Aguadilla 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 Aguadilla against every other metro for machinists. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.
Report a data issue on this page
BEA doesn't publish price levels for Aguadilla, so real pay isn't shown. The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for machinists as a separate industry, so that section is left out.