How much do industrial machinery mechanics make in Washington in 2026?

Industrial machinery mechanics in Washington earn a median $77,220 a year, which works out to $37.13 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That figure sits in the middle of the range — half of mechanics in the state earn more, half earn less. The numbers below come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025.

The full spread tells you more than the median alone. At the 25th percentile, mechanics earn $61,750 a year ($29.69/hr). These are typically workers earlier in their careers, in less specialized facilities, or in regions of Washington where industrial density is lower. At the 75th percentile, pay climbs to $97,490 a year ($46.87/hr). That upper tier represents mechanics with deep experience, specialized machine knowledge, or positions at high-throughput facilities — think aerospace supply chain plants, food processing operations, or large-scale manufacturing sites concentrated in the Puget Sound region and along the I-5 corridor.

The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is $35,740 a year — nearly $17 an hour. That spread is wide, and it matters. It tells you that where you work, what you work on, and how long you've been doing it have a significant effect on your paycheck. A mechanic maintaining CNC equipment at a Boeing-tier supplier in Everett is going to land in a very different part of that range than someone servicing packaging lines at a smaller food manufacturer in Eastern Washington.

Washington's industrial base drives strong demand for this trade. The state has a dense concentration of aerospace manufacturing, wood products processing, food and beverage production, and semiconductor-adjacent fabrication. Each of those sectors depends on machinery running continuously, which means mechanics with strong preventive maintenance skills, PLC troubleshooting ability, and hydraulics/pneumatics knowledge are consistently in demand. Downtime is expensive, and employers pay to prevent it.

Overtime is a real factor in this trade. Many industrial facilities run multiple shifts, and mechanics are often called on to cover breakdowns outside regular hours. If you're regularly pulling 48- to 50-hour weeks, your effective hourly rate stays the same but your annual take-home grows well above the figures listed here. That's worth factoring in when comparing offers.

Certifications also influence where you land in the range. Credentials in electrical work, millwright skills, welding, or specific equipment platforms (Allen-Bradley PLCs, for example) tend to push pay toward the upper percentiles. Employers in Washington's larger industrial operations often use these credentials as a screening tool and a pay-grade differentiator.

No union scale data is currently available for industrial machinery mechanics in Washington through TradesPays. If you work under a collective bargaining agreement, your floor, scale rates, and benefit contributions may differ from the BLS survey figures shown here, which blend both union and non-union employment.

The figures on this page reflect statewide averages. Pay in the Seattle metro and surrounding manufacturing corridors typically runs higher than the state median. More rural or inland areas of Washington generally track closer to or below the 25th percentile figures. Use the percentile data as a benchmark, then factor in your specific location, sector, and experience level to get a realistic picture of where your pay should fall.