Production Occupations in Alabama, May 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 state estimates. BLS sorts every occupation into one of 22 major groups; this is the Production Occupations group in Alabama. These are estimates of jobs and wages, not job openings.
The group’s own figures in Alabama
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupation group code | 51-0000 |
| Employment | 215,220 |
| Jobs per 1,000 | 102.904 |
| Location quotient | 1.81 |
| Mean annual wage | $46,110 |
| Median annual wage | $41,440 |
| Mean hourly wage | $22.17 |
| Median hourly wage | $19.92 |
| 10th percentile annual wage | $28,080 |
| 25th percentile annual wage | $34,030 |
| 75th percentile annual wage | $52,300 |
| 90th percentile annual wage | $68,740 |
Detailed occupations in this group in Alabama
Every detailed occupation BLS publishes for this group in Alabama, sorted by employment. Rows where BLS publishes no employment estimate (**) come last. Click a column heading to sort. A cell that reads “not published annually” or “not published hourly” means BLS publishes that row on the other basis only. A cell showing * or # is BLS’s own footnote symbol, explained below the table. Each row is that occupation’s own BLS record for Alabama.
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage | Mean annual wage | 10th percentile annual wage | 90th percentile annual wage | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 51,030 | $40,620 | $42,550 | $28,560 | $61,150 | $19.53 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | 19,370 | $67,210 | $72,620 | $42,620 | $105,730 | $32.31 |
| Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | 13,080 | $39,190 | $42,970 | $27,560 | $61,680 | $18.84 |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 12,570 | $47,170 | $49,440 | $33,300 | $66,590 | $22.68 |
| Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | 9,560 | $28,380 | $29,690 | $21,440 | $37,930 | $13.64 |
| Helpers--Production Workers | 8,170 | $34,520 | $35,550 | $27,350 | $46,040 | $16.6 |
| Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 6,200 | $37,000 | $39,000 | $21,580 | $53,130 | $17.79 |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 6,020 | $39,460 | $41,200 | $30,140 | $52,940 | $18.97 |
| Machinists | 5,620 | $53,320 | $55,960 | $36,610 | $78,160 | $25.64 |
| Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 4,770 | $40,220 | $43,090 | $30,880 | $57,880 | $19.34 |
| Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers | 4,580 | $38,100 | $40,310 | $30,020 | $55,870 | $18.32 |
| Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 3,930 | $49,380 | $50,180 | $35,480 | $70,260 | $23.74 |
| Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | 3,770 | $35,760 | $37,930 | $24,430 | $50,850 | $17.19 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators | 3,530 | $49,430 | $52,610 | $35,880 | $72,600 | $23.77 |
| Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders | 3,100 | $72,900 | $65,170 | $35,400 | $93,110 | $35.05 |
| Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators | 2,950 | $48,730 | $50,810 | $31,900 | $76,350 | $23.43 |
| Printing Press Operators | 2,760 | $34,980 | $37,670 | $23,300 | $54,080 | $16.82 |
| Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing | 2,750 | $36,600 | $37,300 | $27,680 | $49,880 | $17.59 |
| Sewing Machine Operators | 2,650 | $30,140 | $31,050 | $22,630 | $39,990 | $14.49 |
| Butchers and Meat Cutters | 2,350 | $34,870 | $34,960 | $22,570 | $47,390 | $16.77 |
| Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 2,340 | $45,510 | $48,030 | $33,890 | $63,580 | $21.88 |
| Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers | 2,170 | $28,230 | $28,730 | $22,580 | $36,540 | $13.57 |
| Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood | 2,160 | $37,550 | $39,790 | $29,820 | $50,480 | $18.05 |
| Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters | 2,150 | $48,730 | $51,120 | $36,880 | $64,660 | $23.43 |
| Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 1,940 | $41,750 | $43,490 | $30,550 | $62,360 | $20.07 |
| Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters | 1,930 | $39,710 | $41,240 | $31,480 | $50,140 | $19.09 |
| Engine and Other Machine Assemblers | 1,800 | * | * | * | * | * |
| Bakers | 1,660 | $31,610 | $32,300 | $20,030 | $44,510 | $15.2 |
| Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 1,580 | $38,910 | $41,470 | $32,210 | $50,040 | $18.71 |
| Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 1,540 | $37,310 | $41,140 | $29,030 | $53,700 | $17.94 |
| Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 1,490 | $50,950 | $56,650 | $37,940 | $75,830 | $24.5 |
| Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 1,470 | $35,880 | $39,860 | $30,180 | $53,420 | $17.25 |
| Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 1,320 | $39,830 | $42,660 | $30,700 | $59,230 | $19.15 |
| Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 1,290 | $38,950 | $41,460 | $32,220 | $55,620 | $18.73 |
| Food Batchmakers | 1,160 | $35,260 | $37,290 | $26,210 | $51,220 | $16.95 |
| Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic | 1,140 | $36,240 | $39,300 | $30,770 | $51,160 | $17.42 |
| Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders | 1,100 | $49,010 | $50,910 | $40,840 | $60,790 | $23.56 |
| Dental Laboratory Technicians | 1,090 | $40,980 | $42,540 | $30,110 | $56,960 | $19.7 |
| Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders | 910 | $47,520 | $51,970 | $37,780 | $60,420 | $22.85 |
| Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 890 | $37,860 | $37,660 | $29,000 | $48,070 | $18.2 |
| Tool and Die Makers | 870 | $63,500 | $62,090 | $46,280 | $74,620 | $30.53 |
| Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers | 780 | $62,010 | $63,980 | $46,610 | $85,020 | $29.81 |
| Power Plant Operators | 730 | $103,640 | $97,030 | $61,320 | $123,480 | $49.83 |
| Production Workers, All Other | 660 | $37,430 | $39,900 | $26,970 | $61,380 | $18 |
| Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers | 650 | $58,150 | $56,150 | $42,590 | $69,000 | $27.96 |
| Foundry Mold and Coremakers | 650 | $45,720 | $45,190 | $38,170 | $57,320 | $21.98 |
| Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 600 | $35,920 | $38,790 | $21,500 | $55,580 | $17.27 |
| Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 590 | $37,450 | $40,610 | $29,750 | $52,460 | $18 |
| Cutters and Trimmers, Hand | 430 | $32,140 | $42,620 | $29,500 | $67,470 | $15.45 |
| Print Binding and Finishing Workers | 420 | $36,470 | $36,060 | $27,530 | $45,960 | $17.54 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers | 410 | $60,840 | $61,330 | $41,600 | $77,300 | $29.25 |
| Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials | 410 | $27,320 | $26,290 | $20,710 | $31,170 | $13.13 |
| Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators | 370 | $47,460 | $53,610 | $35,970 | $76,150 | $22.82 |
| Food Processing Workers, All Other | 360 | $36,860 | $36,630 | $30,300 | $42,180 | $17.72 |
| Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders | 320 | $26,200 | $28,270 | $22,260 | $36,240 | $12.6 |
| Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 300 | $35,770 | $36,130 | $28,600 | $45,750 | $17.2 |
| Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 270 | $41,290 | $42,950 | $31,440 | $56,890 | $19.85 |
| Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers | 260 | $51,260 | $53,710 | $41,640 | $62,000 | $24.65 |
| Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners | 260 | $40,440 | $44,080 | $26,240 | $71,970 | $19.44 |
| Gas Plant Operators | 250 | $73,270 | $70,100 | $38,860 | $83,620 | $35.23 |
| Power Distributors and Dispatchers | 230 | $110,970 | $118,520 | $88,870 | $161,290 | $53.35 |
| Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators | 220 | $37,380 | $37,580 | $30,610 | $41,430 | $17.97 |
| Furniture Finishers | 210 | $32,420 | $34,390 | $22,480 | $47,310 | $15.59 |
| Slaughterers and Meat Packers | 210 | $32,930 | $33,340 | $25,640 | $44,730 | $15.83 |
| Pourers and Casters, Metal | 200 | $39,210 | $46,120 | $35,580 | $55,810 | $18.85 |
| Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders | 180 | $36,620 | $36,410 | $25,010 | $47,360 | $17.6 |
| Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians | 180 | $34,820 | $34,740 | $25,700 | $51,960 | $16.74 |
| Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders | 170 | $34,920 | $42,190 | $25,760 | $100,810 | $16.79 |
| Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders | 170 | $37,220 | $42,030 | $34,710 | $72,800 | $17.9 |
| Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand | 170 | $33,060 | $35,490 | $25,000 | $50,510 | $15.9 |
| Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic | 160 | $48,660 | $50,730 | $36,770 | $70,560 | $23.39 |
| Upholsterers | 160 | $37,690 | $39,240 | $30,390 | $48,610 | $18.12 |
| Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 150 | $44,720 | $50,190 | $37,970 | $99,070 | $21.5 |
| Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other | 150 | $62,310 | $58,720 | $47,240 | $62,730 | $29.96 |
| Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic | 140 | $48,620 | $47,810 | $32,450 | $60,320 | $23.38 |
| Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers | 130 | $39,730 | $44,310 | $30,370 | $67,480 | $19.1 |
| Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 130 | $31,810 | $34,260 | $24,770 | $46,390 | $15.29 |
| Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 110 | $40,030 | $41,840 | $33,250 | $51,960 | $19.24 |
| Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders | 100 | $31,830 | $32,610 | $29,050 | $34,410 | $15.3 |
| Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers | 90 | $51,270 | $61,140 | $40,370 | $94,140 | $24.65 |
| Etchers and Engravers | 80 | $38,710 | $37,440 | $24,460 | $57,450 | $18.61 |
| Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 80 | $50,640 | $50,310 | $37,020 | $64,100 | $24.35 |
| Prepress Technicians and Workers | 80 | $34,980 | $37,240 | $28,420 | $47,820 | $16.82 |
| Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers | 70 | $38,030 | $51,880 | $23,970 | $117,840 | $18.28 |
| Woodworkers, All Other | 70 | $44,920 | $46,710 | $31,410 | $64,520 | $21.6 |
| Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 60 | $47,060 | $47,370 | $26,000 | $59,110 | $22.62 |
| Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers | 60 | $42,620 | $42,130 | $27,260 | $54,830 | $20.49 |
| Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators | 60 | $28,910 | $32,220 | $26,580 | $44,680 | $13.9 |
| Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers | 50 | $28,890 | $29,680 | $23,650 | $35,360 | $13.89 |
| Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other | 40 | $32,420 | $37,990 | $22,870 | $61,480 | $15.59 |
| Chemical Plant and System Operators | ** | $84,490 | $78,890 | $54,370 | $106,470 | $40.62 |
| Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | ** | $46,640 | $51,600 | $40,800 | $70,420 | $22.42 |
| Sewers, Hand | ** | $28,190 | $29,070 | $24,220 | $35,190 | $13.55 |
Symbols (BLS wording, workbook sheet Field Descriptions sheet): ** indicates that an employment estimate is not available · * indicates that a wage estimate is not available · # indicates a wage equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year. A wage shown as a symbol is not zero and not a blank: BLS publishes no number there.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 state estimates. Record: state_M2024_dl.xlsx!AREA=01&OCC_CODE=51-0000. the group row is AREA 01 / OCC_CODE 51-0000, and each table row is its own detailed record for this area, AREA 01 / OCC_CODE 51-xxxx. Reference period: May 2024. Fetched October 2026 from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24st.zip.