Salary guide, May 2025
Control Panel Builder 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 Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers in the United States was $45,850 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $38,380 and $51,670.
Also searched as: Panel Wireman, Control Panel Technician, Panel Shop Wireman. These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.
Broader occupation · SOC 51-2028 Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers
The Control Panel Builder 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35,350 | $38,380 | $45,850 | $51,670 | $62,950 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $17.00 | $18.45 | $22.04 | $24.84 | $30.27 |
BLS estimated 246,970 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-2028 Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers, 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 | $39,020 | $36,180 to $48,270 | 1,530 | 0.34 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $38,490 | $36,160 to $48,240 | 2,390 | 1.04 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $39,720 | $35,370 to $48,770 | 1,160 | 0.52 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $45,210 | $36,510 to $47,470 | 780 | 0.66 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $46,620 | $38,970 to $58,180 | 8,760 | 0.58 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $46,620 | $38,970 to $58,180 | 8,760 | 0.58 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $45,930 | $37,600 to $54,090 | 5,420 | 0.84 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $41,160 | $36,020 to $49,450 | 9,750 | 1.36 |
Rank every metro for Control Panel Builder
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.
- Motor Vehicle Manufacturing$62,920
- Plastics Product Manufacturing$61,440
- Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing$61,180
- Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing$60,110
- Chemical Manufacturing$54,840
- Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing$54,250
- Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing$49,900
- Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)$48,950
- Machinery Manufacturing$48,810
- Primary Metal Manufacturing$48,780
- Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing$48,780
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)$48,250
- Transportation Equipment Manufacturing$47,330
- Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing$47,290
- Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing$47,230
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 | 218,840 | $38,480 | $45,910 | $51,410 |
| 334000 | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 106,980 | $37,890 | $45,220 | $50,380 |
| 335000 | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 65,350 | $38,390 | $45,820 | $49,910 |
| 334400 | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 49,310 | $36,680 | $41,250 | $47,200 |
| 334500 | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 40,200 | $39,460 | $47,150 | $57,310 |
| 335300 | Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 30,940 | $39,280 | $46,330 | $50,880 |
| 335900 | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 27,620 | $37,920 | $45,700 | $49,320 |
| 336000 | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 20,660 | $40,260 | $47,330 | $60,080 |
| 333000 | Machinery Manufacturing | 18,790 | $44,260 | $48,810 | $59,440 |
| 3330A1 | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 14,550 | $45,030 | $48,950 | $59,580 |
| 336300 | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 10,990 | $37,850 | $42,210 | $47,330 |
| 334200 | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 7,940 | $38,730 | $45,930 | $52,030 |
| 336400 | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 6,950 | $50,940 | $61,180 | $79,480 |
| 334100 | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 5,840 | $39,300 | $46,110 | $53,270 |
| 335100 | Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing | 5,590 | $36,150 | $40,340 | $48,310 |
| 339000 | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 3,620 | $40,560 | $46,680 | $49,500 |
| 334300 | Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing | 3,440 | $37,240 | $45,270 | $49,540 |
| 333300 | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 2,810 | $39,340 | $47,230 | $56,410 |
| 332000 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 2,550 | $39,970 | $46,440 | $51,830 |
| 339100 | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 2,250 | $41,940 | $46,760 | $49,640 |
| 3320A1 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 1,510 | $40,120 | $48,250 | $52,120 |
| 339900 | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 1,360 | $38,020 | $45,270 | $49,410 |
| 335200 | Household Appliance Manufacturing | 1,200 | $36,830 | $40,580 | $48,460 |
| 336200 | Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | 1,040 | $38,810 | $47,290 | $51,480 |
| 333600 | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 750 | $45,520 | $46,810 | $56,380 |
| 336100 | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 740 | $57,400 | $62,920 | $76,920 |
| 336500 | Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing | 690 | $40,550 | $46,950 | $48,830 |
| 333500 | Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing | 680 | $49,900 | $60,110 | $67,180 |
| 3320A2 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 620 | $36,960 | $45,940 | $50,210 |
| 332700 | Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 400 | $40,800 | $45,310 | $54,190 |
| 332710 | Machine Shops | 350 | $39,730 | $44,850 | $53,730 |
| 325000 | Chemical Manufacturing | 250 | $39,410 | $54,840 | $69,290 |
| 336600 | Ship and Boat Building | 170 | $44,960 | $46,230 | $53,630 |
| 325400 | Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 150 | $39,350 | $46,560 | $80,700 |
| 326000 | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 150 | $42,300 | $54,250 | $63,300 |
| 331000 | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 150 | $42,450 | $48,780 | $54,140 |
| 331400 | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 140 | $42,450 | $48,780 | $53,920 |
| 323000 | Printing and Related Support Activities | 130 | $37,650 | $43,340 | $46,910 |
| 323100 | Printing and Related Support Activities | 130 | $37,650 | $43,340 | $46,910 |
| 326100 | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 110 | $50,520 | $61,440 | $63,990 |
| 336900 | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 80 | $36,810 | $40,260 | $47,480 |
| 332720 | Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 50 | $44,420 | $49,900 | $62,620 |
| 326200 | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 40 | $39,240 | $41,010 | $49,030 |
| 337000 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 30 | $30,190 | $40,640 | $50,090 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Control Panel Builder, 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 | $37,450 | $44,040 | $49,830 |
| May 2025 | $38,380 | $45,850 | $51,670 |
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 learn what a candidate can do by asking them to walk through one panel from raw backplate to shipped unit. The order of their steps shows experience. They should mention layout, cutting, mounting, wiring, labeling, checks and documents without prompting.
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 Control Panel Builder?
The median annual wage for Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers in the United States was $45,850 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $38,380 and $51,670. This is the broader occupation 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 $35,350. 90% earned less than $62,950.
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 Control Panel Builder at a plant?
The Control Panel Builder 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 246,970 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?
Control Panel Builders are categorized under SOC 51-2028, Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers. The national median salary as of May 2025 is $45,850, marking a $1,810 increase from the May 2024 median of $44,040. The middle-band width for this occupation is $13,290, spanning from the 25th percentile at $38,380 to the 75th percentile at $51,670.
Manufacturing Headhunters notes that these BLS numbers group all electronic assemblers together, meaning the specific technical tasks of control panel fabrication, such as UL 508A compliance and schematic reading, are not separated in the data. Additionally, the figures exclude shift premiums and skills-based pay differentials that are frequently part of a builder's total earnings.
Regional employment statistics indicate that the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, area has a median of $45,670 with a middle-band width of $17,940, while the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, area reports a median of $41,160 with a middle-band width of $13,430. Nationally, industry wages reflect variances such as $62,920 in Motor Vehicle Manufacturing and $61,180 in Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing. These industry-specific medians are national aggregates and do not serve as local benchmarks for panel builder compensation. The BLS does not partition these roles by industrial fabrication specialty.
The location quotient, which is 1.38 in Los Angeles and 1.36 in Chicago, identifies the density of this occupation in these markets. These numbers are purely descriptive of industrial concentration and do not reflect labor supply or wage competitiveness. The middle-band width and median change are straightforward arithmetic values. Because the BLS methodology aggregates all electronic and electromechanical assemblers, the data should be used as a general guide rather than a precise target for panel building roles. There is no information provided regarding the specific impact of UL certifications or complex point-to-point wiring skills on compensation.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
What is the national median salary for a Control Panel Builder as of May 2025?
The national median salary for this role is $45,850. This represents a $1,810 increase from the May 2024 median of $44,040.
How does the middle-band width for the Control Panel Builder in Los Angeles compare to the national average?
The Los Angeles middle-band width of $17,940 is wider than the national middle-band width of $13,290.
Does the SOC 51-2028 category specifically isolate control panel fabrication?
No, the SOC 51-2028 category is broad and includes all electrical and electronic assemblers. The BLS does not separate the fabrication of control panels from other assembly tasks.
Related recruiting or pay page · Related wage comparison 1 · Data methodology · Related wage comparison 3 · Related wage comparison 4