Salary guide, May 2025
Plating / Anodizing 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 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in the United States was $53,750 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $46,790 and $63,010.
Direct match · SOC 51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Plating / Anodizing Technician is shown within the broader published occupation. BLS does not separate this plant-specific title, seniority, shift, process or credential. Compare the duties with the SOC definition before using the range.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $39,240 | $46,790 | $53,750 | $63,010 | $77,530 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $18.87 | $22.50 | $25.84 | $30.29 | $37.28 |
BLS estimated 416,210 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, 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 | $54,590 | $47,870 to $62,630 | 3,510 | 0.46 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $49,930 | $46,670 to $60,310 | 2,520 | 0.65 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $50,200 | $45,940 to $59,630 | 2,020 | 0.53 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $56,940 | $47,190 to $60,980 | 1,090 | 0.55 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $61,680 | $52,790 to $75,930 | 5,780 | 0.23 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $61,680 | $52,790 to $75,930 | 5,780 | 0.23 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $51,630 | $46,180 to $62,670 | 10,620 | 0.98 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $52,650 | $46,270 to $61,750 | 9,320 | 0.77 |
Rank every metro for Plating / Anodizing 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.
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$99,570
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$99,570
- Chemical Manufacturing$76,240
- Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)$76,240
- Dairy Product Manufacturing$72,840
- Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only)$68,800
- Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills$68,120
- Other Food Manufacturing$67,610
- Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing$67,540
- Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing$65,520
- Food Manufacturing$64,980
- Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing$64,140
- Motor Vehicle Manufacturing$63,360
- Animal Slaughtering and Processing$63,360
- Grain and Oilseed Milling$63,100
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 | 274,710 | $46,560 | $51,210 | $60,920 |
| 332000 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 112,520 | $46,470 | $50,870 | $60,450 |
| 3320A2 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 70,020 | $46,540 | $50,640 | $60,410 |
| 333000 | Machinery Manufacturing | 63,880 | $47,530 | $53,660 | $61,020 |
| 336000 | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 63,500 | $46,560 | $51,100 | $61,980 |
| 3330A1 | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 56,750 | $47,520 | $53,680 | $61,000 |
| 3320A1 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 25,910 | $46,290 | $50,870 | $59,990 |
| 336200 | Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | 22,560 | $46,190 | $49,340 | $56,790 |
| 332700 | Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 15,760 | $46,570 | $52,280 | $61,120 |
| 332710 | Machine Shops | 14,960 | $46,790 | $52,240 | $61,110 |
| 336300 | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 14,470 | $40,180 | $47,300 | $54,890 |
| 336600 | Ship and Boat Building | 14,370 | $50,580 | $62,470 | $66,960 |
| 331000 | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 7,520 | $44,640 | $50,700 | $61,010 |
| 335000 | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 5,830 | $46,700 | $51,580 | $59,810 |
| 334000 | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 4,840 | $39,080 | $47,400 | $59,210 |
| 339000 | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 4,330 | $46,070 | $49,890 | $57,980 |
| 336400 | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 4,160 | $54,690 | $64,140 | $78,700 |
| 337000 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 3,480 | $41,670 | $47,860 | $51,660 |
| 3370A1 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 3,340 | $41,670 | $47,700 | $51,390 |
| 339900 | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 3,270 | $45,400 | $49,310 | $58,060 |
| 333500 | Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing | 3,090 | $47,940 | $54,490 | $62,110 |
| 335300 | Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 3,080 | $47,480 | $55,820 | $62,050 |
| 333300 | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 3,010 | $47,220 | $51,270 | $60,120 |
| 336100 | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 2,970 | $52,320 | $63,360 | $78,150 |
| 331100 | Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing | 2,920 | $42,520 | $46,430 | $58,760 |
| 336900 | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 2,680 | $37,310 | $49,280 | $62,250 |
| 334500 | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 2,310 | $45,990 | $55,640 | $62,300 |
| 336500 | Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing | 2,280 | $49,210 | $52,950 | $62,490 |
| 331200 | Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel | 2,160 | $46,460 | $53,740 | $61,630 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 2,080 | $46,150 | $53,550 | $63,890 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 2,080 | $46,150 | $53,550 | $63,890 |
| 325000 | Chemical Manufacturing | 2,060 | $71,790 | $76,240 | $79,850 |
| 3250A1 | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 1,970 | $72,890 | $76,240 | $79,850 |
| 334400 | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 1,930 | $37,780 | $43,000 | $48,010 |
| 331500 | Foundries | 1,700 | $49,380 | $55,820 | $64,360 |
| 326000 | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 1,610 | $39,840 | $45,920 | $57,150 |
| 335900 | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 1,250 | $45,460 | $51,000 | $56,380 |
| 335200 | Household Appliance Manufacturing | 1,150 | $48,000 | $48,560 | $54,190 |
| 326100 | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 1,130 | $38,900 | $44,430 | $53,300 |
| 339100 | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 1,050 | $49,890 | $49,890 | $57,760 |
| 333600 | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 1,030 | $47,710 | $57,730 | $63,340 |
| 332800 | Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 830 | $43,830 | $49,700 | $58,530 |
| 332720 | Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 790 | $43,970 | $53,730 | $62,670 |
| 311000 | Food Manufacturing | 760 | $59,620 | $64,980 | $70,660 |
| 314000 | Textile Product Mills | 640 | $37,790 | $46,370 | $55,860 |
| 314900 | Other Textile Product Mills | 630 | $38,110 | $46,680 | $55,990 |
| 321000 | Wood Product Manufacturing | 550 | $44,500 | $49,970 | $57,750 |
| 326200 | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 480 | $43,680 | $49,190 | $59,020 |
| 324000 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 470 | $69,140 | $99,570 | $106,940 |
| 324100 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 470 | $69,140 | $99,570 | $106,940 |
| 321900 | Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 450 | $45,080 | $49,610 | $57,750 |
| 311300 | Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing | 410 | $60,560 | $65,520 | $69,910 |
| 331400 | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 400 | $46,640 | $50,160 | $63,460 |
| 334200 | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 350 | $43,990 | $49,050 | $55,480 |
| 335100 | Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing | 350 | $42,640 | $46,390 | $57,370 |
| 331300 | Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing | 340 | $46,420 | $51,630 | $62,980 |
| 337900 | Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing | 140 | $47,680 | $49,230 | $57,200 |
| 322100 | Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills | 130 | $47,690 | $68,120 | $85,580 |
| 334300 | Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing | 130 | $37,840 | $42,320 | $45,960 |
| 334100 | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 120 | $37,050 | $38,490 | $46,430 |
| 311600 | Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 90 | $59,860 | $63,360 | $69,070 |
| 311200 | Grain and Oilseed Milling | 70 | $52,760 | $63,100 | $72,030 |
| 3250A2 | Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) | 70 | $50,160 | $68,800 | $71,520 |
| 321100 | Sawmills and Wood Preservation | 60 | $47,010 | $54,020 | $65,790 |
| 311500 | Dairy Product Manufacturing | 50 | $67,840 | $72,840 | $76,900 |
| 311700 | Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging | 50 | $59,800 | $61,400 | $62,580 |
| 321200 | Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing | 40 | $40,490 | $45,260 | $51,590 |
| 311900 | Other Food Manufacturing | 30 | $52,980 | $67,610 | $83,540 |
| 312000 | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 30 | $61,750 | $67,540 | $78,980 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Plating / Anodizing 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 | $45,580 | $51,000 | $61,610 |
| May 2025 | $46,790 | $53,750 | $63,010 |
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 the actual remit?
Write down who is accountable for surface-treatment baths and records that control coating quality today. If responsibility for surface-treatment baths and records that control coating quality is divided between several people, tell us where this hire's work begins and ends. That explanation helps separate their capability from a team's success at surface-treatment baths and records that control coating quality.
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 Plating / Anodizing Technician?
The median annual wage for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in the United States was $53,750 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $46,790 and $63,010.
What does the 10th percentile mean here?
10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $39,240. 90% earned less than $77,530.
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 Plating / Anodizing Technician at a plant?
Plating / Anodizing Technician is shown within the broader published occupation. BLS does not separate this plant-specific title, seniority, shift, process or credential. Compare the duties with the SOC definition before using the range. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimated 416,210 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 evaluates the Plating / Anodizing Technician role under the SOC 51-4121 classification. The BLS aggregates this role with broader welding and brazing occupations, which limits the precision for specialized chemical plating and anodizing duties. The May 2025 national median is $53,750, which is an increase of $2,750 from the May 2024 median of $51,000.
The national P25 stands at $46,790, and the P75 is $63,010, creating a middle-band width of $16,220 for the full national sample.
National industry-specific medians offer insight into higher-compensated sectors, with Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing at $99,570 and Chemical Manufacturing at $76,240. Regional data for Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, shows a median of $57,940 with a $24,990 middle-band width, while Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, reports a median of $51,630 and a $16,490 middle-band width. These regional figures are based on the highest occupational employment concentrations. Note that BLS wage data omits compensation for specialized chemical handling and process control, which are core functions for this role.
The national P10 is $39,240 and the P90 is $77,530. Because the SOC 51-4121 mapping is broad, hiring managers should focus on candidate experience regarding bath chemistry and adhesion protocols. The provided data does not account for shift premiums or specialized chemical safety certifications. The difference between national industry rows and the broader occupation median reflects the premium associated with complex chemical manufacturing environments. These figures should be used as a reference point for occupational pay scales, acknowledging that individual plant-level variables remain outside the scope of this standard data.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
How do I reconcile these figures with chemical handling requirements?
The BLS occupation 51-4121 does not track process-specific chemical certifications or safety handling requirements. You should weight the chemical industry median of $76,240 more heavily than the overall occupational median when considering technical process roles.
What does the location quotient reveal about the market?
The location quotient indicates the density of employment in the occupation for a specific area, such as 1.8 in Houston. It serves as an indicator of regional industrial focus rather than a metric for candidate supply or specific local wage premiums.
Are the listed median changes reflective of local wage inflation?
The $2,750 national median change reflects the overall shift in the occupation reported by the BLS between May 2024 and May 2025. This figure is not a local wage index but a broad movement for the entire occupational category.
Related recruiting or pay page · Related wage comparison 1 · Data methodology · Related wage comparison 3 · Related wage comparison 4