Millwright Salary by State (2026 Data Guide)

The median millwright salary in the United States is $65,170 per year, but where you work changes that number dramatically. A journeyman millwright in Washington state earns roughly 57% more than one doing the same work in Florida. That gap isn’t random — it reflects union contract strength, local industry density, cost of living, and how much manufacturing and energy infrastructure exists in each state.

This page gives you the BLS 2024 wage data for millwrights, broken down by state, with context on what drives the differences and how to use this information to maximize your earning potential.

National salary overview

The median annual wage for industrial machinery mechanics, machinery maintenance workers, and millwrights was $63,510 in May 2024. The lowest 10% earned less than $44,430, and the highest 10% earned more than $91,620. For millwrights specifically — the most highly trained subset of this occupational group — median wages come in higher, at approximately $65,170/yr based on BLS OEWS state-level data aggregated across the trade.

That national median translates to roughly $31.33 per hour on a standard 2,080-hour work year. In practice, many millwrights earn considerably more through overtime and turnaround work — the scheduled plant shutdowns where millwrights can work 60–84 hours a week at premium rates for weeks at a stretch.

Overall employment of industrial machinery mechanics, machinery maintenance workers, and millwrights is projected to grow 13% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 54,200 openings projected each year on average over the decade. That growth in job demand is one reason wages across the trade have remained strong.

The industries paying millwrights the most are utilities (power generation), oil and gas extraction, and aerospace and defense manufacturing. The industries with the most millwright employment are general manufacturing, paper and packaging, and industrial construction. These don’t always overlap — which matters when you’re choosing where to target your job search.

Millwright salary by state — full data table

The table below shows average annual millwright wages by state, sourced from BLS OEWS May 2024 data. States are sorted from highest to lowest average pay.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level data, SOC 49-9044 Millwrights. “vs. National Median” column compares to the $65,170 national millwright median.

Highest-paying states for millwrights

Washington

Washington tops the state rankings at $66,621 average annual millwright wage, buoyed by aerospace manufacturing (Boeing’s major production facilities are here), hydroelectric power infrastructure, and Puget Sound area industrial construction. UBC Millwright locals in western Washington have negotiated strong contracts, and the Port of Seattle employs millwrights at wages well above state averages.

New York and Massachusetts

New York ($64,352) and Massachusetts ($64,240) benefit from strong union contracts in the Northeast industrial corridor and significant utilities and manufacturing sectors. The New York City metro area — with its Con Edison facilities, transit infrastructure, and large industrial complexes in the outer boroughs — is one of the denser millwright markets on the East Coast.

Virginia and Maryland

Virginia ($63,280) and Maryland ($62,313) rank well partly due to defense and government contractor presence, including shipbuilding and facilities maintenance at installations like Newport News and the Baltimore industrial port. Both states have active UBC locals with competitive wage scales.

Lowest-paying states for millwrights

Florida ($42,143) is the lowest-paying state for millwrights by a significant margin — nearly $23,000 below the national median. This reflects Florida’s industrial mix: the state has relatively little heavy manufacturing and limited union density compared to the industrial Midwest and Northeast. The millwright work that does exist in Florida tends to cluster around port facilities, theme park and resort maintenance, and food processing plants.

West Virginia ($45,537), Kentucky ($46,164), and Louisiana ($46,821) also come in well below average. Louisiana’s figure is somewhat counterintuitive — the state has one of the highest densities of refinery and chemical plant work — but the state average is pulled down by a large non-union workforce. Union millwrights working Gulf Coast turnarounds in Louisiana regularly earn well above the state-level average shown here.

To know the estimated millwright salary in your state use our skill trades pay calculator.

Journeyman millwright salary vs. apprentice

The state-level wage data above includes millwrights at all experience levels, which is why averages in some industrial states look lower than you’d expect — they include first- and second-year apprentices pulling down the mean.

Here’s how millwright wages break down by career stage nationally:

Apprentice wages are set by each local union’s collective bargaining agreement as a percentage of the journeyman rate. A first-year apprentice typically earns 50–60% of journeyman scale, with automatic increases each year. By year four, you’re typically at 85–95% of journeyman scale — earning close to $60,000–$65,000 before you’ve even completed your card.

Union vs. non-union millwright wages

Union membership is the single biggest wage lever available to millwrights, especially in the early and mid career. Here’s what the difference looks like in practice:

The fringe benefit package is often overlooked when comparing union vs. non-union wages. Union millwright total compensation — hourly wage plus employer contributions to health insurance, pension, and annuity — often exceeds the raw wage number by 30–40%. A union millwright earning $33/hr may have a total compensation package equivalent to $44–$46/hr when benefits are included.

For a deeper look at the millwright union locals see our Millwright Union Locals Directory: How to Find Yours (2026).

What affects your millwright wage

Beyond state and union status, five additional factors have the most meaningful effect on what you actually earn as a millwright:

Industry. Utilities (power plants) and oil and gas extraction pay the highest millwright wages — these environments demand precision work on high-value, safety-critical equipment and pay accordingly. Millwrights in food processing or general manufacturing typically earn less. When evaluating a job, ask what industry you’re working in, not just what the base rate is.

Specialization. Millwrights with certifications in nuclear work (NMAP qualification), precision laser alignment (API and ISO standards), or vibration analysis (Mobius Institute or ISO category credentials) command premium pay. These skills are in short supply and the equipment they protect is expensive enough that employers pay to attract workers who have them.

Overtime and turnarounds. Turnaround work — scheduled maintenance shutdowns at industrial plants — can dramatically increase annual income. Experienced millwrights who position themselves on turnaround circuits can gross $90,000–$110,000 in a good year through overtime alone, even at a journeyman base rate.

Geographic flexibility. Millwrights who are willing to travel — even temporarily — for high-demand projects earn more. Gulf Coast refineries, nuclear plants in the Southeast, and large industrial construction projects in the Midwest regularly draw traveling millwrights who earn turnaround pay on top of their base rate.

Experience and tenure. This seems obvious, but the curve in millwright earnings is steeper than most people expect. A 10-year journeyman with documented specialty skills and a strong track record earns materially more than a newly qualified journeyman, even at the same local. Experience at high-complexity sites compounds over time into a premium.

Frequently asked questions

Next steps

If you’re using this data to decide where to work or whether the millwright trade is the right career move, the salary numbers are just one piece. For the full picture on how to enter the trade, see our complete how to become a millwright guide, which covers the 4-year UBC apprenticeship, journeyman qualification, and specialty certifications in detail.

To see how millwright wages stack up across all major skilled trades, our highest paying trade jobs ranking puts everything in one place. If you’re comparing the trades path against a four-year degree financially, our trade school vs. college breakdown runs the full numbers. And if electrician or plumber work also interests you, check our salary pages for electrician salary, plumber salary, and HVAC technician salary for direct comparisons.

Other skilled trades salary guides:

• Electrician Salary by State.
• Plumber Salary by State in 2026 (Latest BLS Data)
• HVAC Technician Salary by State (Updated 2026 Data)
• Welder Salary in the US: What You’ll Actually Earn (2026)
• Carpenter Salary in the US: What You’ll Actually Earn (2026)
• Journeyman Electrician Salary: What You’ll Earn in 2026