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Machinist - Federal Salaries of 2022
Pay Rates for "Machinist"
How much does a Machinist in the federal government get paid? $75,361.76* *Based on the 2022 average.Machinist was the 344th most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2022, with 149 employed. The most common payscale was the nonsupervisory pay schedules - federal wage system payscale.
In 2022, the U.S. Mint hired the most employees titled Machining, with an average salary of $64,362.
Government Machining jobs are classified under the Federal Wage Schedule, Wage Grade (FWS) payscale. The minimum paygrade for a Machining job is FWS-8, and the highest paygrade that can be attained within this job series is FWS-11. Remember that the starting and maximum yearly pay listed above reflect base pay only - your actual salary will be higher based on the Locality Pay Adjustment for the area in which you work.
This standard covers nonsupervisory work involved in the manufacture of parts and items of equipment from castings, forgings, and other raw stocks made of various metals, metal alloys, and other materials, and/or machining operations required in the repair of such items. The work requires the use of various types of conventional and/or computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools and their attachments to perform machining operations in the repair and/or manufacture of parts from raw stock.
Agencies that have hired a Machinist
| Agency | Employees Hired | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Mint | 43 | $64,361.70 |
| U.S. Coast Guard | 39 | $75,997.77 |
| Government Printing Office | 19 | $105,995.78 |
| Bureau of Engraving and Printing | 18 | $77,940.22 |
| Veterans Health Administration | 14 | $63,918.71 |
| Agricultural Research Service | 3 | $59,876.00 |
| Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service | 3 | $60,418.67 |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 2 | $76,833.00 |
| St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation | 2 | $73,452.00 |
| Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System | 2 | $80,349.50 |
| Department of Energy | 2 | $129,382.50 |
| Forest Service | 1 | $55,890.00 |
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | 1 | $79,556.00 |
Machinist Pay Distribution
The average pay for a Machinist is $75,361.76. The highest paid Machinist made $140,672 in 2022.
Common Machinist Payscales
| Payscale | Number of Machining Employees |
|---|---|
| WG - Nonsupervisory Pay Schedules - Federal Wage System | 94 |
| KJ - Government Printing Office Negotiated Rates For Machinists | 19 |
| KG - Non-craft Non-supervisory | 15 |
| WL - Leader Pay Schedule - Federal Wage System | 8 |
| WS - Supervisory Pay Schedules - Federal Wage System | 6 |
| BB - Nonsupervisory - Negotiated Pay Employees | 3 |
| KS - Non-craft - Supervisory | 2 |
| BS - Supervisory - Negotiated Pay Employees | 1 |
| WE - Currency Manufacturing | 1 |
| Starting Paygrade: | $10.68 to $28.58 / hour at paygrade FWS-8 |
| Maximum Paygrade: | $12.06 to $34.60 / hour at paygrade FWS-11 |
| Occupation Family: | MACHINE TOOL WORK FAMILY |
Other Jobs at the FWS-8 Paygrade
FWS-8 is the starting paygrade for Machining jobs. Here are some other Federal Government jobs that can be held by employees at the FWS-8 paygrade.
| Occupation | Starting Paygrade | Maximum Paygrade |
|---|---|---|
| Locksmithing | FWS-7 | FWS-9 |
| Painting | FWS-7 | FWS-9 |
| Small Craft Operating | FWS-4 | FWS-12 |
| Machining | FWS-8 | FWS-11 |
| Metal Forming Machine Operating | FWS-6 | FWS-10 |
Average Machining Pay Trend from 2004 to 2022
In 2004, the average pay for a Machinist was $51,198. Since then, the average pay has increased to $75,362 in 2022.
Data Sources
The information provided on these pages is sourced from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 
Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) dataset. Postal Service data is managed exclusively by the USPS . All information is displayed unmodified and as provided by the source agency.
Federal employee salaries are public information under open government laws (5 U.S.C. § 552). FederalPay provides this data in the interest of government transparency — employee data may not be used for commercial soliciting or vending of any kind. Learn more about the FederalPay Employees Dataset here.
The series code of this occupation is 3414.