Machinists pay range in San Diego
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $40,300 a year or less, while the top 10% make $86,970 or more. The middle half of machinists in San Diego earn between $48,700 and $78,650.
- $40K10th
- $49K25th
- $61KMedian
- $79K75th
- $87K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $64,530 | $5,378 | $31.02 |
| Median | $61,420 | $5,118 | $29.53 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $48,700 | $4,058 | $23.41 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $78,650 | $6,554 | $37.81 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Machinists salary after taxes in San Diego
On the average salary of $64,530, a single filer in San Diego takes home about $51,940 a year, or $4,328 a month and $1,998 every two weeks. Taxes take 20% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is San Diego a good place for machinists? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the San Diego area are 12% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 111.9), so the average $64,530 buys what about $57,674 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.0 times the median wage of all jobs in San Diego ($58,690). A typical home costs $946,365, or 14.7 years of this average salary before tax.
Machinists salary in other California cities
San Diego ranks 6th of 22 California metro areas for this job; San Francisco pays the most ($76,240).
- San Francisco$76,240
- San Jose$69,020
- Vallejo$67,080
- Yuba City$65,470
- Redding$64,700
- San Diego$64,530
- Santa Maria$62,340
- Salinas$62,140
- Sacramento$62,070
- Santa Rosa$60,000
Highest-paying cities for machinists
Honolulu, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($81,140).
- Honolulu, HI$81,140
- Bremerton, WA$79,720
- Barnstable, MA$77,800
- Florence, AL$77,420
- San Francisco, CA$76,240
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Machinists salary in San Diego: questions
How much do machinists make an hour in San Diego?
$31.02 an hour on average, and $29.53 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level machinists salary in San Diego?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $40,300 a year and the 25th percentile is $48,700, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the machinists take-home pay in San Diego?
About $51,940 a year ($4,328 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $64,530. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do machinists earn more in San Diego than elsewhere?
The average here is 8% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($59,811).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 51-4041; area San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (41740). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.4%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.77, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.77).
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