Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012

51-5112 Printing Press Operators

Set up and operate digital, letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, or other printing machines. Includes short-run offset printing presses.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
173,010 1.3 % $17.35 $36,090 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.88 $12.67 $16.68 $21.28 $26.19
Annual Wage (2) $20,550 $26,350 $34,690 $44,260 $54,480

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Printing and Related Support Activities 100,810 21.67 $17.42 $36,240
Converted Paper Product Manufacturing 15,170 5.53 $18.42 $38,310
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers 15,130 3.29 $17.79 $37,010
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 5,560 1.29 $16.22 $33,730
Plastics Product Manufacturing 5,330 1.04 $16.90 $35,140

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Printing and Related Support Activities 100,810 21.67 $17.42 $36,240
Converted Paper Product Manufacturing 15,170 5.53 $18.42 $38,310
Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills 1,270 3.75 $14.42 $29,980
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers 15,130 3.29 $17.79 $37,010
Specialized Design Services 1,880 1.62 $15.84 $32,950

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 620 0.03 $41.78 $86,910
Scientific Research and Development Services 40 0.01 $25.50 $53,050
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 50 0.01 $24.47 $50,890
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 120 0.03 $21.62 $44,970
Local Government (OES Designation) 750 0.01 $21.00 $43,670

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 15,200 1.06 0.80 $17.64 $36,680
Texas 10,810 1.02 0.77 $16.57 $34,460
Illinois 10,390 1.84 1.39 $17.89 $37,220
Pennsylvania 10,210 1.82 1.37 $17.29 $35,970
New York 9,670 1.13 0.85 $18.28 $38,020




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wisconsin 8,390 3.14 2.36 $18.35 $38,170
Kansas 3,040 2.30 1.74 $16.74 $34,820
Minnesota 5,750 2.18 1.64 $19.07 $39,670
Missouri 5,250 2.01 1.52 $16.65 $34,630
Nebraska 1,790 1.96 1.48 $15.77 $32,810




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 780 1.20 0.90 $33.72 $70,140
Alaska 170 0.53 0.40 $23.03 $47,890
Delaware 320 0.79 0.59 $21.07 $43,820
New Jersey 5,550 1.46 1.10 $20.48 $42,600
Vermont 280 0.96 0.73 $19.95 $41,500





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 7,580 2.08 1.57 $18.14 $37,730
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 5,370 1.04 0.78 $19.99 $41,580
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 5,080 1.31 0.99 $17.53 $36,470
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 3,880 1.66 1.25 $20.51 $42,660
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 3,560 2.03 1.53 $20.02 $41,630
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 3,260 1.44 1.09 $18.57 $38,630
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 3,100 1.48 1.11 $16.98 $35,310
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 3,020 1.66 1.25 $19.15 $39,840
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 2,890 3.59 2.70 $18.05 $37,550
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 2,500 1.77 1.33 $15.26 $31,730