Printing Press Operators
Printing Press Operators (SOC 51-5112) earn a median $45,780 a year ($22.01 an hour) in the United States, with 144,260 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is District of Columbia.
What printing press operators do
Printing press operators set up and run the machines that put ink on paper and other stock. The presses vary: digital, letterpress, lithographic (including short-run offset), flexographic, and gravure presses each suit different products. Starting from the job order, the operator confirms quantities, stock, colors, and any special instructions, checks that the paper and ink match specifications, and loads and threads the material through the press cylinders. They set tension and feed controls, adjust the flow from the ink fountains, and start the press, then pull proofs to examine ink coverage, density, alignment, and registration. During the run, they take random samples to catch drift and make adjustments. Automated press systems are monitored, and the operator responds to fault, error, or alert messages. Press operators handle the machines that put ink on stock, while the finishing of printed products belongs to print binding and finishing workers.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, a high school diploma or equivalent is the most common level of education reported by workers in this occupation.
Also called: Aniline Press Worker, Back Up Machine Operator, Backer, Bag Press Operator, Bag Printer.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $16.03 | $17.98 | $22.01 | $26.80 | $30.54 | $22.77 | 144,260 |
| Annual | $33,330 | $37,390 | $45,780 | $55,740 | $63,520 | $47,360 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where printing press operators earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| District of Columbia | Hourly | $23.48 | $34.39 | $56.07 | $62.91 | $66.63 | $50.45 | 350 | 0.50 | 0.54 |
| Annual | $48,840 | $71,530 | $116,630 | $130,850 | $138,590 | $104,930 | ||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $18.96 | $21.42 | $25.51 | $30.88 | $36.21 | $26.65 | 2,110 | 0.58 | 0.62 |
| Annual | $39,430 | $44,550 | $53,050 | $64,230 | $75,310 | $55,430 | ||||
| New Jersey | Hourly | $18.22 | $20.98 | $24.25 | $30.75 | $37.29 | $26.73 | 4,180 | 0.98 | 1.05 |
| Annual | $37,900 | $43,650 | $50,430 | $63,950 | $77,550 | $55,600 | ||||
| Washington | Hourly | $19.07 | $22.17 | $23.94 | $28.91 | $33.67 | $25.63 | 2,310 | 0.65 | 0.70 |
| Annual | $39,660 | $46,120 | $49,800 | $60,130 | $70,030 | $53,310 | ||||
| Oregon | Hourly | $17.92 | $19.53 | $23.44 | $28.07 | $30.54 | $24.13 | 1,330 | 0.67 | 0.73 |
| Annual | $37,270 | $40,620 | $48,760 | $58,390 | $63,510 | $50,200 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $17.59 | $18.53 | $22.17 | $26.38 | $30.73 | $23.26 | 12,320 | 0.68 | 0.73 |
| Annual | $36,580 | $38,530 | $46,110 | $54,870 | $63,910 | $48,370 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $15.12 | $17.53 | $22.24 | $28.45 | $31.85 | $23.36 | 9,550 | 1.57 | 1.69 |
| Annual | $31,450 | $36,470 | $46,260 | $59,170 | $66,250 | $48,590 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $14.20 | $17.25 | $20.46 | $23.59 | $29.40 | $21.84 | 9,110 | 0.65 | 0.70 |
| Annual | $29,540 | $35,880 | $42,550 | $49,080 | $61,160 | $45,430 | ||||
| Wisconsin | Hourly | $17.78 | $19.27 | $22.76 | $28.73 | $31.38 | $24.15 | 8,120 | 2.76 | 2.97 |
| Annual | $36,980 | $40,080 | $47,330 | $59,770 | $65,260 | $50,220 | ||||
| Ohio | Hourly | $15.59 | $17.88 | $22.00 | $27.01 | $29.14 | $22.22 | 7,500 | 1.35 | 1.46 |
| Annual | $32,430 | $37,190 | $45,760 | $56,180 | $60,600 | $46,210 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Harrisonburg, VA | Hourly | $17.57 | $21.20 | $30.85 | $30.85 | $31.81 | $26.97 | 130 | 2.00 | 2.15 |
| Annual | $36,540 | $44,100 | $64,180 | $64,180 | $66,160 | $56,100 | ||||
| Rochester, MN | Hourly | $18.58 | $22.21 | $28.46 | $31.87 | $34.98 | $27.27 | 90 | 0.74 | 0.80 |
| Annual | $38,650 | $46,190 | $59,200 | $66,280 | $72,750 | $56,720 | ||||
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | Hourly | $18.82 | $23.96 | $28.29 | $28.29 | $36.81 | $27.31 | 70 | 1.42 | 1.53 |
| Annual | $39,140 | $49,840 | $58,850 | $58,850 | $76,570 | $56,800 | ||||
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | Hourly | $18.25 | $22.29 | $28.24 | $30.46 | $34.98 | $26.75 | 610 | 6.55 | 7.06 |
| Annual | $37,950 | $46,370 | $58,750 | $63,350 | $72,750 | $55,630 | ||||
| Fort Smith, AR-OK | Hourly | $15.26 | $20.30 | $27.09 | $30.99 | $38.63 | $25.89 | 180 | 1.90 | 2.05 |
| Annual | $31,750 | $42,220 | $56,350 | $64,450 | $80,340 | $53,860 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $15.32 | $17.67 | $22.39 | $28.91 | $36.06 | $23.81 | 7,790 | 1.73 | 1.86 |
| Annual | $31,870 | $36,750 | $46,580 | $60,120 | $75,000 | $49,520 | ||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $17.36 | $20.75 | $23.86 | $30.38 | $37.07 | $26.37 | 6,700 | 0.71 | 0.76 |
| Annual | $36,110 | $43,160 | $49,620 | $63,180 | $77,100 | $54,840 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $17.53 | $18.57 | $22.21 | $23.75 | $30.05 | $22.80 | 6,140 | 0.98 | 1.05 |
| Annual | $36,470 | $38,620 | $46,200 | $49,390 | $62,500 | $47,430 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $16.85 | $17.89 | $21.96 | $27.55 | $34.52 | $24.65 | 3,880 | 0.96 | 1.03 |
| Annual | $35,040 | $37,210 | $45,670 | $57,310 | $71,800 | $51,270 | ||||
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | Hourly | $17.62 | $22.04 | $24.12 | $30.22 | $36.17 | $26.06 | 3,390 | 1.74 | 1.87 |
| Annual | $36,650 | $45,830 | $50,170 | $62,860 | $75,240 | $54,210 | ||||
Top industries employing printing press operators
Printing and Related Support Activities employ 61.1% of printing press operators nationally (88,160 jobs) at a median $45,910 a year ($22.07 an hour), followed by Converted Paper Product Manufacturing (5.8%) and Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (4.9%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Printing and Related Support Activities NAICS 323100 | 88,160 | 61.1% | $45,910 | $22.07 |
| Converted Paper Product Manufacturing NAICS 322200 | 8,310 | 5.8% | $54,090 | $26.01 |
| Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services NAICS 541800 | 7,000 | 4.9% | $40,270 | $19.36 |
| Plastics Product Manufacturing NAICS 326100 | 4,680 | 3.2% | $48,790 | $23.46 |
| Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers NAICS 513100 | 4,580 | 3.2% | $47,190 | $22.69 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (144,260). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $37,770 for printing press operators in May 2021 and $45,780 in May 2025, with employment of 145,290 and 144,260.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $37,770 | $18.16 | 145,290 |
| May 2022 | $39,350 | $18.92 | 150,010 |
| May 2023 | $41,860 | $20.13 | 151,450 |
| May 2024 | $45,160 | $21.71 | 145,110 |
| May 2025 | $45,780 | $22.01 | 144,260 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
51 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia profile | $56.07 | $116,630 | $48,840 | $138,590 | 350 | 0.50 | 0.54 |
| 2 | Massachusetts profile | $25.51 | $53,050 | $39,430 | $75,310 | 2,110 | 0.58 | 0.62 |
| 3 | New Jersey profile | $24.25 | $50,430 | $37,900 | $77,550 | 4,180 | 0.98 | 1.05 |
| 4 | Washington profile | $23.94 | $49,800 | $39,660 | $70,030 | 2,310 | 0.65 | 0.70 |
| 5 | Oregon profile | $23.44 | $48,760 | $37,270 | $63,510 | 1,330 | 0.67 | 0.73 |
| 6 | Minnesota profile | $23.35 | $48,560 | $36,950 | $73,670 | 4,960 | 1.68 | 1.81 |
| 7 | New Hampshire profile | $23.27 | $48,410 | $34,790 | $69,780 | 680 | 0.99 | 1.07 |
| 8 | Kentucky profile | $23.08 | $48,000 | $34,920 | $63,720 | 2,470 | 1.23 | 1.33 |
| 9 | Colorado profile | $23.01 | $47,860 | $37,400 | $63,270 | 1,830 | 0.64 | 0.69 |
| 10 | New York profile | $23.01 | $47,860 | $34,910 | $69,880 | 6,700 | 0.69 | 0.75 |
| 11 | Maryland profile | $23.00 | $47,840 | $35,690 | $64,160 | 1,250 | 0.45 | 0.49 |
| 12 | Maine profile | $22.80 | $47,430 | $37,710 | $62,150 | 300 | 0.47 | 0.50 |
| 13 | Wisconsin profile | $22.76 | $47,330 | $36,980 | $65,260 | 8,120 | 2.76 | 2.97 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania profile | $22.60 | $47,010 | $34,850 | $63,690 | 7,150 | 1.18 | 1.27 |
| 15 | Arkansas profile | $22.34 | $46,470 | $28,540 | $64,060 | 1,760 | 1.35 | 1.46 |
| 16 | Alaska profile | $22.34 | $46,460 | $30,660 | $65,440 | 170 | 0.53 | 0.57 |
| 17 | Vermont profile | $22.34 | $46,460 | $37,040 | $70,990 | 190 | 0.62 | 0.67 |
| 18 | Illinois profile | $22.24 | $46,260 | $31,450 | $66,250 | 9,550 | 1.57 | 1.69 |
| 19 | Missouri profile | $22.18 | $46,130 | $32,560 | $66,640 | 3,460 | 1.18 | 1.27 |
| 20 | California profile | $22.17 | $46,110 | $36,580 | $63,910 | 12,320 | 0.68 | 0.73 |
| 21 | Ohio profile | $22.00 | $45,760 | $32,430 | $60,600 | 7,500 | 1.35 | 1.46 |
| 22 | Connecticut profile | $21.96 | $45,670 | $36,080 | $64,880 | 1,610 | 0.95 | 1.02 |
| 23 | North Carolina profile | $21.94 | $45,630 | $29,600 | $62,010 | 3,910 | 0.79 | 0.85 |
| 24 | Hawaii profile | $21.82 | $45,390 | $29,120 | $64,700 | 350 | 0.56 | 0.60 |
| 25 | Rhode Island profile | $21.82 | $45,380 | $40,360 | $71,780 | 510 | 1.03 | 1.11 |
| 26 | Michigan profile | $21.77 | $45,280 | $31,190 | $63,220 | 5,110 | 1.16 | 1.25 |
| 27 | Indiana profile | $21.74 | $45,230 | $34,820 | $61,330 | 4,820 | 1.50 | 1.62 |
| 28 | South Dakota profile | $21.60 | $44,930 | $33,980 | $63,800 | 460 | 1.00 | 1.08 |
| 29 | Delaware profile | $21.44 | $44,600 | $35,160 | $59,530 | 210 | 0.44 | 0.48 |
| 30 | Virginia profile | $21.16 | $44,020 | $30,530 | $64,020 | 3,210 | 0.78 | 0.84 |
| 31 | Nevada profile | $20.91 | $43,500 | $36,300 | $62,800 | 1,360 | 0.88 | 0.94 |
| 32 | Tennessee profile | $20.75 | $43,160 | $30,870 | $58,310 | 3,510 | 1.07 | 1.16 |
| 33 | Arizona profile | $20.65 | $42,950 | $35,800 | $60,700 | 2,400 | 0.74 | 0.80 |
| 34 | Texas profile | $20.46 | $42,550 | $29,540 | $61,160 | 9,110 | 0.65 | 0.70 |
| 35 | Montana profile | $20.30 | $42,220 | $31,200 | $57,990 | 300 | 0.59 | 0.63 |
| 36 | Nebraska profile | $20.23 | $42,070 | $36,670 | $59,190 | 2,140 | 2.09 | 2.25 |
| 37 | Kansas profile | $20.14 | $41,890 | $27,980 | $58,410 | 2,640 | 1.83 | 1.98 |
| 38 | Georgia profile | $19.96 | $41,520 | $28,860 | $60,690 | 4,220 | 0.86 | 0.93 |
| 39 | West Virginia profile | $19.81 | $41,200 | $25,780 | $65,220 | 470 | 0.66 | 0.72 |
| 40 | Florida profile | $19.80 | $41,180 | $30,490 | $60,130 | 7,060 | 0.71 | 0.77 |
| 41 | Utah profile | $19.72 | $41,030 | $31,200 | $61,200 | 1,970 | 1.14 | 1.22 |
| 42 | Iowa profile | $19.61 | $40,790 | $30,130 | $59,190 | 2,070 | 1.33 | 1.43 |
| 43 | Wyoming profile | $19.60 | $40,760 | $27,750 | $60,570 | 90 | 0.33 | 0.36 |
| 44 | South Carolina profile | $19.46 | $40,470 | $29,490 | $59,010 | 2,100 | 0.91 | 0.98 |
| 45 | Idaho profile | $18.58 | $38,650 | $30,240 | $56,510 | 610 | 0.71 | 0.77 |
| 46 | Mississippi profile | $18.46 | $38,400 | $25,920 | $60,010 | 670 | 0.57 | 0.62 |
| 47 | North Dakota profile | $18.20 | $37,850 | $30,700 | $57,100 | 270 | 0.63 | 0.67 |
| 48 | Louisiana profile | $18.10 | $37,650 | $26,580 | $58,090 | 870 | 0.45 | 0.48 |
| 49 | New Mexico profile | $17.84 | $37,110 | $30,440 | $58,230 | 250 | 0.28 | 0.31 |
| 50 | Oklahoma profile | $17.67 | $36,760 | $26,700 | $50,440 | 1,140 | 0.67 | 0.72 |
| 51 | Alabama profile | $17.63 | $36,670 | $24,260 | $55,830 | 2,160 | 1.02 | 1.10 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (51-5110), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Production Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 51-5112 Printing Press Operators.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 51-5112, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 51-5112.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.