What is the average hourly pay for cnc operators in your state

[SKEETO]

Louisiana:
Texas:
Northern States:

[sidhou]

4 dollars/hour,40 dollars/day.China
I can not believe that...But this is the highest CNC operater salary in China

[ca_mold_maker]

Here in Sacramento CA operators (parts changers) make 12-16/hr

I'm the lead programmer/setup guy for 10 cnc's in 3 departments and I'm making 32/hr. I make more than the average around here because we machine green/fired ceramics. Its a constant battle with these machines and this material. I replace screws and ways every 2-6 months.

[Cartesian-xyz]

Here in the Northern Idaho a CNC operator that can use a Good setup sheet and perform a basic setup to include TLO and multi-fixture offset, and protect your machinery will bring the 10.00-14.00/Hr. They may even be able to check there own work and make some inteligent decisions!
CNC machinist with good milling and turning capabilities, tooling and planning abilities coupled with inspection plate skills will bring 16.00-20.00+/Hr.
But WHERE ARE THEY. As a productions manager for a small OEM it is frustrating not to find the skill level I need to produce parts I need for our product. I have seen over the past 15 yrs an alarming decline in the skilled trade of the machinist! Atleast here in the Pacific Northwest. Anyone ELSE?

[oldrusty]

Originally Posted by Cartesian-xyz Here in the Northern Idaho a CNC operator that can use a Good setup sheet and perform a basic setup to include TLO and multi-fixture offset, and protect your machinery will bring the 10.00-14.00/Hr. They may even be able to check there own work and make some inteligent decisions! CNC machinist with good milling and turning capabilities, tooling and planning abilities coupled with inspection plate skills will bring 16.00-20.00+/Hr. But WHERE ARE THEY. As a productions manager for a small OEM it is frustrating not to find the skill level I need to produce parts I need for our product. I have seen over the past 15 yrs an alarming decline in the skilled trade of the machinist! Atleast here in the Pacific Northwest. Anyone ELSE?

Ps: The reason there are no machinists is because they cant live on 16-20 dollars (1975 wages) and raise a family (at least here in Toronto Ontario Canada ) so why would a young person train half their life for said occupation> It not hard to figure out. Pay for the experience and its there, respect those that have spent their time in the trade and see the what they will do for you.

[star-turn]

Hi Guys,

We have the same problem here in the UK - most operators will get £5 to 7 pounds an hour unskilled, yet companies only want to pay around £9.00 for a skilled man to set/run/program several m/c's.
very few companies pay what i consider a good rate, around £15.00( $30 US ) to thier machinists, yet these same people bemoan the fact no one will work for them.

ST

[Boots]

I used to teach Machine Tool at the Job Corps Center in Bangor, Maine and the biggest problem I found placing graduating students was the lack of positions for Machinists in the North East. Lots of Manufacturing jobs have gone overseas to cheaper labor. So if you can't find a job in that field then why waste the time to learn the Trade. Wages there fore have become stagnant in the Machining Trades. Employers don't want to pay good wages but yet they expect you to know the Machinist Hand Book.
We that can do it all (by that I mean figuring out how to manufacture a product) are becoming RARE and will continue to do so till we are all gone. We are already seeing 80% of all toys in the US are produced in China. That's pretty sad......but see what it is they give us?? JUNK JUNK JUNK
I purchased a set of brake pads for my GMC pickup and decided to go with the economy ones. The Burrs that remained on the parts were so big they wouldn't even fit. I had to file the parts to get them to work. So see, it is true. You get what you pay for.... The Machinist there is only getting $4.00 hr. but the company is getting just what they are paying for.

[Geof]

Originally Posted by Boots .....Lots of Manufacturing jobs have gone overseas to cheaper labor..........but see what it is they give us?? JUNK JUNK JUNK..... I purchased a set of brake pads for my GMC pickup and decided to go with the economy ones.....

Not to pick on you personally because everybody is guilty of it, me included, going for the "economy ones".

The Manufacturing jobs have not gone overseas they have been "chased" overseas by us all going for the cheapest price regardless of quality.

[Boots]

You are so right there Geof. We all try to cut corners where we can. If we refused to buy their stuff maybe the jobs would come back ??

[Geof]

Originally Posted by Boots You are so right there Geof. We all try to cut corners where we can. If we refused to buy their stuff maybe the jobs would come back ??

Now that is the 64,000 dollar question; or is it the 6,400 dollar question these days with cheap off-shore competition .

I think the answer is no, not directly, and it may be nothing can be done, certainly not in the short term. In the long term I think that what will be unavoidable is that overseas, particularly Chinese, manufacturing costs will rise meanwhile things in North America (there is not much sense in distinguishing between Canada and the USA) will slide until the difference is not large enough to compensate for shipping costs and waiting times for delivery and the hassle of making sure the quality is correct. Then jobs will start coming back. However, the kicker in this is "things will slide"; I think we, in North America, are going to see our very high prosperity relative to the rest of the world come down in real terms as well as relative terms. I don't think anyone is going to like that but I don't think anything can be done to prevent it.

[fluf737]

I,m in MI and am getting $21 an hr,but I go from print to part. We make prototype plastic parts,therefore I guess I,m a mold maker. I do all the cadcam and programing,everything. From idea to part.

[Barry Young]

Originally Posted by Cartesian-xyz CNC machinist with good milling and turning capabilities, tooling and planning abilities coupled with inspection plate skills will bring 16.00-20.00+/Hr. But WHERE ARE THEY. As a productions manager for a small OEM it is frustrating not to find the skill level I need to produce parts I need for our product. I have seen over the past 15 yrs an alarming decline in the skilled trade of the machinist! Atleast here in the Pacific Northwest. Anyone ELSE?

Try paying a reasonable wage then. As a skilled machinist with many years experience who makes twice what your top of scale is, I can say that your problem is not a small pool of skilled people, it is the small wage you are willing to pay. By the way, I am in the Pacific Northwest. I want to live in Northeastern Washington, Northern Idaho or Northwestern Montana. I have worked as a Machinist lathe/mill/grind/5 axis, Programmer, Inspector, Planner and Process Engineer. I am the guy you are looking for, but there is no way someone with my skills and experience wants to work for what you are willing to pay. Not to mention that you have a State income tax which makes your low offer even lower. If you want people, you have to be willing to pay for them, especially in an environment where everyone is screaming for machinists. The shop I am in now is paying operators who have been through our 6 week course of training $23.00. So why would any skilled people even want to work for your low wage? Your message makes it sound like you think $20/hr. is a lot of money. It isn't. not now. Maybe after 9/11 but not now. There are lots of skilled people in the job pool. There are also lots of jobs. The salad days of underpaying for labor are, for the forseeable future, gone. So, trade in the Mercedes on a Chevy and start paying people.

Barry Young