Salary guide
Pay by state
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.
Every state BLS covers, with every role it publishes there, May 2025.
- AlabamaAll roles in this state
- AlaskaAll roles in this state
- ArizonaAll roles in this state
- ArkansasAll roles in this state
- CaliforniaAll roles in this state
- ColoradoAll roles in this state
- ConnecticutAll roles in this state
- DelawareAll roles in this state
- District of ColumbiaAll roles in this state
- FloridaAll roles in this state
- GeorgiaAll roles in this state
- HawaiiAll roles in this state
- IdahoAll roles in this state
- IllinoisAll roles in this state
- IndianaAll roles in this state
- IowaAll roles in this state
- KansasAll roles in this state
- KentuckyAll roles in this state
- LouisianaAll roles in this state
- MaineAll roles in this state
- MarylandAll roles in this state
- MassachusettsAll roles in this state
- MichiganAll roles in this state
- MinnesotaAll roles in this state
- MississippiAll roles in this state
- MissouriAll roles in this state
- MontanaAll roles in this state
- NebraskaAll roles in this state
- NevadaAll roles in this state
- New HampshireAll roles in this state
- New JerseyAll roles in this state
- New MexicoAll roles in this state
- New YorkAll roles in this state
- North CarolinaAll roles in this state
- North DakotaAll roles in this state
- OhioAll roles in this state
- OklahomaAll roles in this state
- OregonAll roles in this state
- PennsylvaniaAll roles in this state
- Rhode IslandAll roles in this state
- South CarolinaAll roles in this state
- South DakotaAll roles in this state
- TennesseeAll roles in this state
- TexasAll roles in this state
- UtahAll roles in this state
- VermontAll roles in this state
- VirginiaAll roles in this state
- WashingtonAll roles in this state
- West VirginiaAll roles in this state
- WisconsinAll roles in this state
- WyomingAll roles in this state
When is a state wage table useful?
Manufacturing Headhunters provides state views for employers who need a wider wage reference than a single metropolitan market. Open the state containing the plant and check the occupation behind each title. State estimates combine work across different communities. They do not turn a rural plant, suburban machining shop and metropolitan device manufacturer into the same hiring market.
A statewide figure is helpful when a company is discussing several possible worksites or preparing an early budget before choosing a plant location. Once the site is settled, look for its published local estimate as well. The narrower geography may show a different spread. That difference should prompt questions about the opening, not an automatic adjustment to every person's pay.
The state directory is not a list of legal minimums or required posting ranges. Published occupational wages and employment law answer different questions. Check the rules applying to the worksite and the posting separately. Do not assume that selecting a state here establishes which disclosure requirements apply to a remote applicant or a traveling assignment.
Titles repeat across plants with different authority. A maintenance manager may own a repair crew at one site and a reliability budget at another. Before you use a statewide median to defend an offer, describe the equipment, reporting line and decisions the person will control. The mapping badge can explain occupational breadth, but it cannot replace that hiring brief.
For a multi-site search, compare named areas side by side and keep the actual geography on the approval sheet. A state ranking should not conceal that one plant needs off-shift electrical coverage while another needs planned mechanical work. Ask which backgrounds can transfer between the sites and which depend on experience with the process already installed.
Can I use one state median for every plant we operate there?
It can be a starting reference, not a uniform offer policy. Inspect the local evidence and the scope of each opening. A statewide estimate cannot separate your sites' shifts, equipment responsibilities or candidate commute constraints.
How should you read state directory?
S. has a published annual median of $105,770 for 2025-05. This is an occupation estimate across employers, not a quoted starting rate for your opening. Read the occupation name with the amount. A narrower plant title does not turn a broader BLS occupation into a separately measured job.
state directory: Director of Manufacturing, mapped to General and Operations Managers (11-1021), in U.S. has a published annual median of $105,770 for 2025-05. This is an occupation estimate across employers, not a quoted starting rate for your opening. Read the occupation name with the amount. A narrower plant title does not turn a broader BLS occupation into a separately measured job.
For the same state directory: Director of Manufacturing, mapped to General and Operations Managers (11-1021), in U.S. row, the published lower quartile is $72,320 and the upper quartile is $167,280. These are wage distribution points, not junior and senior job grades. A person’s equipment knowledge, shift requirements and actual duties still need a separate discussion. A missing percentile stays missing rather than being filled from another occupation.
The state directory: Director of Manufacturing, mapped to General and Operations Managers (11-1021), in U.S. employment estimate is 3,503,020. Employment describes people already working in the measured occupation and area. It does not count available applicants, people willing to move or candidates interested in your plant. Keep that distinction when using this state directory to plan a search or discuss an offer with a hiring manager.
state directory: Sanitation Lead, mapped to Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (37-2011), in U.S. has a published annual median of $36,840 for 2025-05. This is an occupation estimate across employers, not a quoted starting rate for your opening. Read the occupation name with the amount. A narrower plant title does not turn a broader BLS occupation into a separately measured job.
For the same state directory: Sanitation Lead, mapped to Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (37-2011), in U.S. row, the published lower quartile is $32,240 and the upper quartile is $44,060. These are wage distribution points, not junior and senior job grades. A person’s equipment knowledge, shift requirements and actual duties still need a separate discussion. A missing percentile stays missing rather than being filled from another occupation.
The state directory: Sanitation Lead, mapped to Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (37-2011), in U.S. employment estimate is 2,209,760. Employment describes people already working in the measured occupation and area. It does not count available applicants, people willing to move or candidates interested in your plant. Keep that distinction when using this state directory to plan a search or discuss an offer with a hiring manager.
state directory: Firmware / Embedded Engineer, mapped to Software Developers (15-1252), in U.S. has a published annual median of $135,980 for 2025-05. This is an occupation estimate across employers, not a quoted starting rate for your opening. Read the occupation name with the amount. A narrower plant title does not turn a broader BLS occupation into a separately measured job.
For the same state directory: Firmware / Embedded Engineer, mapped to Software Developers (15-1252), in U.S. row, the published lower quartile is $105,210 and the upper quartile is $171,980. These are wage distribution points, not junior and senior job grades. A person’s equipment knowledge, shift requirements and actual duties still need a separate discussion. A missing percentile stays missing rather than being filled from another occupation.
The state directory: Firmware / Embedded Engineer, mapped to Software Developers (15-1252), in U.S. employment estimate is 1,687,890. Employment describes people already working in the measured occupation and area. It does not count available applicants, people willing to move or candidates interested in your plant. Keep that distinction when using this state directory to plan a search or discuss an offer with a hiring manager.
Which questions matter for state directory?
S. has a published annual median of $105,770 for 2025-05. This is an occupation estimate across employers, not a quoted starting rate for your opening. Read the occupation name with the amount. A narrower plant title does not turn a broader BLS occupation into a separately measured job.
Does state directory give an exact offer for my plant?
state directory: Director of Manufacturing, mapped to General and Operations Managers (11-1021), in U.S. has a published annual median of $105,770 for 2025-05. This is an occupation estimate across employers, not a quoted starting rate for your opening. Read the occupation name with the amount. A narrower plant title does not turn a broader BLS occupation into a separately measured job.
What does the wage band in state directory describe?
For the same state directory: Director of Manufacturing, mapped to General and Operations Managers (11-1021), in U.S. row, the published lower quartile is $72,320 and the upper quartile is $167,280. These are wage distribution points, not junior and senior job grades. A person’s equipment knowledge, shift requirements and actual duties still need a separate discussion. A missing percentile stays missing rather than being filled from another occupation.
Does the employment figure in state directory measure available candidates?
The state directory: Director of Manufacturing, mapped to General and Operations Managers (11-1021), in U.S. employment estimate is 3,503,020. Employment describes people already working in the measured occupation and area. It does not count available applicants, people willing to move or candidates interested in your plant. Keep that distinction when using this state directory to plan a search or discuss an offer with a hiring manager.
Director of Manufacturing source figures · Sanitation Lead source figures · Firmware / Embedded Engineer source figures · Methodology