How much do printing press operators make?

What the national Printing Press Operators median says

The May 2025 BLS OEWS estimate puts the U.S. median for Printing Press Operators at $45,780 per year. Median means the middle. Half of the wage values used for this estimate fall below that point. Half fall above it. The median is not one worker's pay. It is not a job offer. It is one clear mark for the middle of a broad national pay range.

BLS also lists 144,260 wage and salary jobs for Printing Press Operators. That count covers jobs in the survey's scope. It does not count open job ads. It also leaves out people who work for themselves. The wage and job counts share the same May 2025 reference point, so they can be read together without mixing time periods.

The Printing Press Operators mean of $47,360 per year is 3.5% above the $45,780 median on the same published median. Mean means BLS adds the wage values and divides the total by the number of jobs behind the estimate. A gap between mean and median shows that the shape is not even. It does not explain the cause of the gap.

The fields that make SOC 51-5112 its own page

BLS names this record Printing Press Operators and gives it SOC 51-5112. The two-part code is the stable key for this page. A role with a close name keeps a different code, wage row, job count, and area pattern. WageScope never joins two SOC records because their words sound alike.

For SOC 51-5112, the U.S. row reports 144,260 wage and salary jobs. Its annual median is $45,780 per year. Its matching mean is $47,360 per year. These facts come from one national row and one May 2025 release.

SOC 51-5112 appears in 53 state or territory rows. It also has 302 metro rows and 105 nonmetro rows. A missing local row stays missing. We do not fill it with U.S. data or data for a similar job code.

• SOC 51-5112 10th percentile: $33,330 per year.
• SOC 51-5112 25th percentile: $37,390 per year.
• SOC 51-5112 median: $45,780 per year.
• SOC 51-5112 75th percentile: $55,740 per year.
• SOC 51-5112 90th percentile: $63,520 per year.
• SOC 51-5112 employment RSE: 1.2%. Mean-wage RSE: 0.4%.
• SOC 51-5112 has no national suppression mark in the fields shown on this page.

Read the Printing Press Operators wage ladder from low to high

The 10th percentile is $33,330 per year. The 25th percentile is $37,390 per year. The median is $45,780 per year. The 75th percentile is $55,740 per year. The 90th percentile is $63,520 per year. Each point marks a place in the same national wage spread.

A percentile is a rank point. It is not a career step. For example, the 10th percentile means 10% of wage values are at or below that mark. It does not mean a new worker starts there. The 90th percentile means 90% are at or below that mark. It does not mean a worker can reach it after a set number of years.

The middle half runs from $37,390 to $55,740 per year. That span is $18,350. The full 10th-to-90th span is $30,190. These spans show why one median cannot stand in for every Printing Press Operators job.

What the gaps around the Printing Press Operators median show

The median is 37.4% above the 10th percentile. The 90th percentile is 38.8% above the median. The two sides do not have to match. A wider upper side can pull the mean up. A wider lower side can pull it down. The data shows the shape, but not the reason for that shape.

The 25th-to-median step is $8,390 per year. The median-to-75th step is $9,960 per year. These two steps give a closer look at the middle half. They are often more useful than a single top-to-bottom gap because they keep the center in view.

Use this ladder as a fact check when you read a job post. A posted range can sit below, near, or above these BLS marks. That does not make the post wrong. A job may differ by place, hours, level, field, employer, or work rules. Keep the posted range tied to that listing. Keep the BLS range tied to the whole occupation.

Metro areas with the highest published Printing Press Operators medians

WageScope found 302 metro rows with the same published annual median for Printing Press Operators. It sorts only those rows. It does not fill a blank row. It does not turn a blank into zero. The first six rows below have the highest published medians in this release. The list is a wage rank, not a rank of places to live or work.

The first row is Harrisonburg, VA, at $64,180 per year. The middle metro row by published pay is Peoria, IL, at $44,750 per year. That middle metro mark gives one more check on how far the top rows sit from a common place in the set.

These are nominal wages. Nominal means the dollar amount shown in the source. This list does not adjust for local price levels. It also does not tell us how many openings an area has now. Use a local page to see price-level context when an exact BEA row exists. Use the separate job block to inspect current employer-title matches.

• 1. Harrisonburg, VA has a Printing Press Operators median of $64,180 per year, or $18,400 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. BLS lists 130 jobs there, against 144,260 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 2.15.
• 2. Rochester, MN has a Printing Press Operators median of $59,200 per year, or $13,420 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. BLS lists 90 jobs there, against 144,260 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.8.
• 3. Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA has a Printing Press Operators median of $58,850 per year, or $13,070 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. BLS lists 70 jobs there, against 144,260 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 1.53.
• 4. Oshkosh-Neenah, WI has a Printing Press Operators median of $58,750 per year, or $12,970 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. BLS lists 610 jobs there, against 144,260 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 7.06.
• 5. Fort Smith, AR-OK has a Printing Press Operators median of $56,350 per year, or $10,570 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. BLS lists 180 jobs there, against 144,260 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 2.05.
• 6. Trenton-Princeton, NJ has a Printing Press Operators median of $55,920 per year, or $10,140 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. BLS lists 180 jobs there, against 144,260 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.82.

Metro areas with the largest Printing Press Operators job estimates

A large wage can appear in a small job market. A large job market can have a lower wage. That is why WageScope keeps pay and job count in separate views. The six rows below have the largest published employment estimates for Printing Press Operators among metro rows in this release. Employment means the number of wage and salary jobs in scope. It does not mean open roles.

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN has the largest listed metro estimate in this set, at 7,790 jobs. Its median is $46,580 per year. Compare that with Harrisonburg, VA, which leads the published median list. The leaders may match, or they may not. Each list answers a different question.

Job count can help you see the scale of a local labor market. It cannot show churn, new hiring, job quality, remote work, or the chance that one person will get hired. Current listings add a second view, but they are a dated sample of posts. WageScope never turns the listing count into a demand score.

• 1. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN has 7,790 estimated Printing Press Operators jobs. That is 5.4% of the U.S. estimate of 144,260 jobs. Its median is $46,580 per year, or $800 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. Its location quotient is 1.86.
• 2. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has 6,700 estimated Printing Press Operators jobs. That is 4.6% of the U.S. estimate of 144,260 jobs. Its median is $49,620 per year, or $3,840 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. Its location quotient is 0.76.
• 3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA has 6,140 estimated Printing Press Operators jobs. That is 4.3% of the U.S. estimate of 144,260 jobs. Its median is $46,200 per year, or $420 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. Its location quotient is 1.05.
• 4. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX has 3,880 estimated Printing Press Operators jobs. That is 2.7% of the U.S. estimate of 144,260 jobs. Its median is $45,670 per year, or $110 below the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. Its location quotient is 1.03.
• 5. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI has 3,390 estimated Printing Press Operators jobs. That is 2.3% of the U.S. estimate of 144,260 jobs. Its median is $50,170 per year, or $4,390 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. Its location quotient is 1.87.
• 6. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD has 2,910 estimated Printing Press Operators jobs. That is 2.0% of the U.S. estimate of 144,260 jobs. Its median is $48,610 per year, or $2,830 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. Its location quotient is 1.08.

Where Printing Press Operators has a larger share of local jobs

Location quotient is a share check. A value of 1 means the role has the same share of local jobs as it has across the nation. A value above 1 means the local share is larger. A value below 1 means the local share is smaller. It is not a count. It is not a wage. It does not say that a place is growing.

Lawrence, KS has the highest published location quotient in this bounded metro set, at 10.34. The same row lists 500 jobs and a median of $41,890 per year. Reading all three values keeps a high share from being mistaken for a large market or high pay.

A small area can have a high location quotient because the role makes up a large part of a small local job base. A large area can have many workers and a lower quotient. Use the quotient to ask where the role is common in the mix. Use employment to ask how many jobs BLS estimated. Use the wage fields to ask what the published pay range looks like.

• 1. Lawrence, KS has a Printing Press Operators location quotient of 10.34. BLS lists 500 jobs and a median of $41,890 per year, or $3,890 below the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. The U.S. job estimate is 144,260.
• 2. Mankato, MN has a Printing Press Operators location quotient of 8.24. BLS lists 430 jobs and a median of $44,980 per year, or $800 below the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. The U.S. job estimate is 144,260.
• 3. Green Bay, WI has a Printing Press Operators location quotient of 7.79. BLS lists 1,260 jobs and a median of $47,330 per year, or $1,550 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. The U.S. job estimate is 144,260.
• 4. Oshkosh-Neenah, WI has a Printing Press Operators location quotient of 7.06. BLS lists 610 jobs and a median of $58,750 per year, or $12,970 above the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. The U.S. job estimate is 144,260.
• 5. Terre Haute, IN has a Printing Press Operators location quotient of 5.62. BLS lists 340 jobs and a median of $45,150 per year, or $630 below the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. The U.S. job estimate is 144,260.
• 6. Dalton, GA has a Printing Press Operators location quotient of 5.11. BLS lists 310 jobs and a median of $35,200 per year, or $10,580 below the U.S. Printing Press Operators median. The U.S. job estimate is 144,260.

How Printing Press Operators sits in Production

Printing Press Operators is SOC 51-5112. BLS places it in the Production major group. Among 105 detailed roles in that group with a published annual median, Printing Press Operators ranks 65 of 105 by median. This is a pay rank inside one source family. It is not a rank of skill, value, status, or career fit.

The closest same-family medians help set a fair peer frame. They do not claim that the work is the same. Official SOC titles can cover different tasks and settings. WageScope uses the family only because BLS publishes that link. It does not infer a career move, a skill match, or a hiring path from the wage gap.

Use these peer rows to spot whether the $45,780 median sits near many family roles or far from them. Then open a role's own page before using its number. Each role has a different code, job count, wage spread, and place pattern. One family label does not erase those facts.

• 1. Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, SOC 51-9041, has a U.S. median of $45,760 per year. Its gap from Printing Press Operators is $20 per year.
• 2. Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers, SOC 51-2028, has a U.S. median of $45,850 per year. Its gap from Printing Press Operators is $70 per year.
• 3. Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other, SOC 51-4199, has a U.S. median of $45,950 per year. Its gap from Printing Press Operators is $170 per year.
• 4. Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic, SOC 51-9195, has a U.S. median of $46,170 per year. Its gap from Printing Press Operators is $390 per year.
• 5. Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, SOC 51-4031, has a U.S. median of $46,330 per year. Its gap from Printing Press Operators is $550 per year.
• 6. Upholsterers, SOC 51-6093, has a U.S. median of $46,340 per year. Its gap from Printing Press Operators is $560 per year.

How much care to use with the Printing Press Operators estimate

The relative standard error for the job count is 1.2%. For the mean wage it is 0.4%. This measure, called RSE, shows survey precision. A smaller RSE often means less uncertainty from the sample. It does not tell you whether one person's pay is right or wrong.

The employment RSE applies to the 144,260 job estimate. The mean-wage RSE applies to the published mean of $47,360 per year. These fields do not give a matching RSE for the median or each percentile. WageScope shows the fields BLS published and does not move one RSE to another measure.

Survey values can change when BLS changes its methods, sample, models, or source year. That is why we show May 2025 on this page. Before we use a new release, we check its files, rows, and pages. A changed number is only a correction if the source calls it one.

A simple way to compare Printing Press Operators across places

First, compare the same wage metric. Use annual with annual or hourly with hourly. Next, check the source date. Keep May 2025 BLS rows together. Then read employment and location quotient beside pay. This stops a high median from standing in for market size or local share. Last, add BEA price-level context only when the exact place has an approved row.

A state, metro, and nonmetro area are not the same kind of map. Do not rank them in one list without saying so. WageScope groups like with like. It also keeps a national row as a broad bench mark. A local page can show the local row, its state row when that link is exact, and the U.S. row without blending them.

If a value is blank, keep it blank. If BLS marks a top code, read it as a lower bound. Do not fill a blank from a nearby place. Do not turn a wage gap into a claim about taxes, hours, benefits, work rules, or a household budget. Those facts are not in the OEWS row.

Move from Printing Press Operators wage data to one real listing

The job block on this page uses a strict employer-title match for Printing Press Operators. It may show fewer rows than the full MeritLog job search. That is on purpose. A false negative is safer here than a job card for a different role. Each card keeps its employer, place, source, and seen date. The cards do not change the BLS wage data.

Open one listing and read its own pay, work place, level, and needs. Compare its posted range with the BLS spread only as context. A posted range is set by an employer for one role. The BLS range is a survey view across many jobs. Neither source proves that a person is fit for the work.

When you tailor a résumé, use work facts you can back up. Do not turn $45,780 into a skill or result. Do not copy a BLS job count into your work history. MeritLog can help shape confirmed experience for a chosen listing. The wage page stays public and read only. It does not save a job or create a résumé on page load.

What this Printing Press Operators page does not claim

This page does not say what one Printing Press Operators worker earns. It does not promise that a job pays the median. It does not state a starting wage. It does not explain why the mean and median differ. It does not add benefits, tips, stock, bonus pay, taxes, or work hours unless BLS includes them in the published wage measure.

The page does not count people who work for themselves. It does not turn 144,260 into current openings. It does not read private MeritLog jobs or Career Memory. MeritLog does not use the page to build a private career profile. While public analytics are on, GA4, Ahrefs, and Meta may get this page's URL. Use Your Privacy Choices or Global Privacy Control to turn that off. The page does not send its text to a model.

The best use is narrow and clear. Read the May 2025 BLS wage range. Check how the role changes by place. Add the separate 2024 BEA price level when an exact row exists. Inspect a dated employer-title match. Then make a résumé choice from facts you have confirmed. Keep each source tied to the question it can answer.