SOC 51-4041 · Production Occupations · May 2025

How much do Machinists make in Asheville, NC?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Machinists in Asheville, NC is $53,110. The 10th percentile is $39,950 and the 90th percentile is $76,340. Employment is 850.

Median annual wage

$53,110

10th percentile
$39,950
25th percentile
$40,730
Median
$53,110
75th percentile
$60,250
90th percentile
$76,340
Mean
$54,440

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder at work with a torch
A welder at a bench, 2014. Photograph by Chetan Menaria. Wikimedia Commons · CC0

Percentile spread

For Machinists, the published 10th percentile is $39,950 and the 90th percentile is $76,340. The difference is $36,390, which is 68.5% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $40,730 to the 75th at $60,250, covers $19,520.

The mean annual wage is $54,440, which sits above the median of $53,110. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Asheville, NC median is 9.6% lower than the national median of $58,750 for Machinists. In 2024 national prices the local median is $55,033, which is 6.3% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 3.8% lower than the North Carolina median of $55,230.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Asheville, NC is 96.506, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $53,110 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Machinists at $55,033 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

29 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Machinists. Asheville, NC ranks 16th of 30 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Johnson City, TN is 47 miles away, with a median of $45,550 and employment of 180. That median is 14.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $51,804, against $55,033 here.
  • Morristown, TN is 57 miles away, with a median of $47,370 and employment of 330. That median is 10.8% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $54,849, against $55,033 here.
  • Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC is 64 miles away, with a median of $43,430 and employment of 460. That median is 18.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $49,081, against $55,033 here.

Employment share

Machinists accounts for 0.47% of wage-and-salary employment in Asheville, NC (850 of 180,620). Nationally the occupation is 0.18% of employment (287,050 of 155,495,730). The local share is 2.55 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Asheville, NC · Machinists by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Machinists make in Asheville, NC?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Machinists in Asheville, NC is $53,110. The 10th percentile is $39,950 and the 90th percentile is $76,340. Employment is 850.

How does that compare with the national median for Machinists?

The local median is 9.6% lower than the national median of $58,750.

What is Machinists pay in Asheville, NC after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Asheville, NC is 96.506, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $53,110 is $55,033. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Asheville, NC compare with nearby metros for Machinists?

Johnson City, TN is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 47 miles away, at $45,550. Asheville, NC ranks 16th of 30 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.