Salary guide, May 2025
Composite Technician pay, United States
Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
The median annual wage for Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators in the United States was $46,880 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $39,430 and $54,490.
Also searched as: Composite Layup Technician, Composite Fabricator, Bonding Technician. These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.
Closest proxy · SOC 51-2051 Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators
The Composite Technician title maps to the published occupation. BLS does not separate this process, credential, shift or plant-specific title from other work in the occupation.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $36,910 | $39,430 | $46,880 | $54,490 | $63,760 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $17.75 | $18.96 | $22.54 | $26.20 | $30.65 |
BLS estimated 16,170 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-2051 Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
How does pay compare in the target metros?
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $46,200 | $38,470 to $48,030 | 430 | 1.47 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $40,750 | $39,430 to $48,780 | 450 | 3.02 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $46,910 | $45,090 to $57,710 | 420 | 2.86 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | Not published by BLS for this area. National figures above apply. | |||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $60,130 | $52,610 to $65,400 | 150 | 0.15 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $60,130 | $52,610 to $65,400 | 150 | 0.15 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $49,820 | $45,520 to $81,700 | 280 | 0.67 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $45,640 | $40,800 to $51,690 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS |
Rank every metro for Composite Technician
What should you know about pay by manufacturing industry, United States?
Same BLS occupation, national estimates for each manufacturing industry (NAICS) BLS publishes, May 2025. Industry names are BLS labels.
- Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing$69,430
- Miscellaneous Manufacturing$68,500
- Chemical Manufacturing$58,840
- Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)$58,840
- Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing$58,440
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)$53,680
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing$48,590
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)$48,140
- Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing$47,880
- Transportation Equipment Manufacturing$47,790
- Ship and Boat Building$47,480
- Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing$47,170
- Manufacturing$46,790
- Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing$46,220
- Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing$44,930
Bars show up to 15 industries with exact annual medians. The table lists every published industry.
| NAICS | Industry | Employment | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31-33 | Manufacturing | 14,940 | $39,710 | $46,790 | $54,120 |
| 336000 | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 8,960 | $43,060 | $47,790 | $55,460 |
| 336600 | Ship and Boat Building | 6,490 | $41,480 | $47,480 | $52,850 |
| 326000 | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 3,340 | $37,410 | $42,740 | $48,620 |
| 326100 | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 3,330 | $37,410 | $42,730 | $48,760 |
| 336200 | Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | 1,240 | $44,440 | $46,220 | $59,490 |
| 336400 | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 1,030 | $49,070 | $58,440 | $101,610 |
| 339000 | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 520 | $44,690 | $68,500 | $81,390 |
| 339900 | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 520 | $44,690 | $69,430 | $81,390 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 450 | $38,340 | $41,040 | $45,340 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 450 | $38,340 | $41,040 | $45,340 |
| 332000 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 430 | $45,760 | $48,590 | $57,040 |
| 333000 | Machinery Manufacturing | 390 | $38,510 | $44,410 | $48,760 |
| 3320A1 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 310 | $46,280 | $48,140 | $54,610 |
| 3330A1 | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 300 | $40,150 | $44,830 | $49,670 |
| 335000 | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 270 | $38,530 | $47,880 | $54,800 |
| 335900 | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 250 | $37,800 | $47,170 | $54,800 |
| 334000 | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 140 | $36,530 | $43,510 | $54,360 |
| 337000 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 140 | $37,320 | $41,070 | $50,120 |
| 3370A1 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 140 | $37,320 | $41,070 | $50,120 |
| 3320A2 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 120 | $40,460 | $53,680 | $98,100 |
| 336900 | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 120 | $40,050 | $41,740 | $47,660 |
| 334400 | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 110 | $36,530 | $38,490 | $50,980 |
| 333300 | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 80 | $37,560 | $37,770 | $48,730 |
| 336300 | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 70 | $33,850 | $44,930 | $52,610 |
| 325000 | Chemical Manufacturing | Not published by BLS | $51,110 | $58,840 | $61,110 |
| 3250A1 | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | Not published by BLS | $51,110 | $58,840 | $61,110 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Composite Technician, write the straight-time rate separately from shift coverage and extra hours. OEWS includes base rate, guaranteed pay and production incentive pay. It excludes overtime premium, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses. An attendance bonus is not a production bonus; confirm its purpose and treatment rather than adding every bonus to the BLS figure.
Skills-based pay steps affect the base rate when they are part of straight-time pay; BLS does not publish a separate rate for each plant's skill grade. Ask whether a tool allowance is expense reimbursement or wage pay. OEWS does not publish a separate tool-allowance component. Keep these items separate in the offer so the published wage is not mistaken for the whole package.
Pay mix here means how published medians for this one BLS occupation differ across manufacturing industries and against the all-industry median. It does not split pay into base, incentive or overtime. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses.
What should you know about two BLS releases?
| Release period | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | $39,230 | $45,760 | $51,530 |
| May 2025 | $39,430 | $46,880 | $54,490 |
These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.
What should you know about supervisory and worker occupations?
BLS publishes these as separate occupations. Pay for one is not a pay step for the other.
- Supervisor occupation: Production Supervisor pay (SOC 51-1011)
Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.
What should you know about practical qualification?
We ask for the biggest part the candidate worked on, how many people were involved and what went wrong. A real answer includes an actual defect and what was done. We note whether they sought help or hid the problem.
What should you know about questions?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
What is the median pay for a Composite Technician?
The median annual wage for Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators in the United States was $46,880 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $39,430 and $54,490. This is the closest proxy BLS publishes, not a figure for this exact title.
What does the 10th percentile mean here?
10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $36,910. 90% earned less than $63,760.
Does this include overtime or bonuses?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
Is this the pay for a Composite Technician at a plant?
The Composite Technician title maps to the published occupation. BLS does not separate this process, credential, shift or plant-specific title from other work in the occupation. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimated 16,170 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
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What does this data mean for your opening?
Manufacturing Headhunters analyzes the Composite Technician role, which corresponds to the SOC 51-2051 classification for Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators. The national median annual wage is $46,880, marking a median increase of $1,120 since May 2024. This position requires hands-on skill in prepreg layup and cleanroom environment management, essential for high-tolerance component fabrication.
BLS data serves as a proxy here because the agency does not isolate composite-specific tasks from general laminator work.
The national P25 to P75 band width for this occupation is $15,060. Industry-specific data shows that Miscellaneous Manufacturing reports a median of $68,500, while Chemical Manufacturing shows a median of $58,840. These industry figures are national and do not reflect local variances. Note that the overall occupation median is heavily influenced by the broad scope of the SOC code, which includes varied lamination processes across many sectors.
Looking at high-employment areas, the Elkhart-Goshen, IN metro reports a median of $47,960 with a location quotient of 78.83, illustrating a high density of manufacturing activity. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro reports a higher median of $59,110 with a location quotient of 3.54. These differences in location quotients represent the concentration of employment rather than the availability of specific composite skills or local pay competitiveness.
These figures represent broad BLS estimates and exclude critical compensation components like skill-based pay, overtime, and shift differentials. Because BLS does not isolate plant-specific roles like composite layup from other plastic or fiberglass molding, these numbers should be viewed as an industry-wide average rather than a granular reflection of specific composite shop wages. Managers should interpret the provided salary range as a guideline based on the broader occupation definition.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
What is the national median change for composite technicians?
The median increased by $1,120 from $45,760 in May 2024 to $46,880 in May 2025. This shows a gradual adjustment in base salary for the broader laminator occupation.
How does the industry median for Chemical Manufacturing differ from the national median?
The national Chemical Manufacturing industry median is $58,840, which is higher than the overall national occupational median of $46,880. This difference highlights how pay profiles vary by specific sector within the SOC code.
What does the location quotient of 78.83 in Elkhart-Goshen signify?
A location quotient of 78.83 indicates a high concentration of this specific job type in that region relative to the national average. It does not measure local pay levels or the number of available candidates.
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