Pay guide
How much do CNC machinists make in Ohio?
By Sauban Bhura, founder of Melben. Updated October 23, 2026
Short answer
The median offer for a CNC machinist in Ohio is $27.25 an hour, from 62 Ohio job orders Melben received from employers since July 2026. Most jobs started around $24 and topped out around $30, and offers ran from $15 to $45. At 40 hours a week, the median is about $56,700 a year. Cleveland had 8 of them, at a median $26.75. Dayton had 7 of them, at a median $25.50.
Ohio CNC machinist pay at a glance
| Measure | Hourly pay |
|---|---|
| Median offer (62 jobs) | $27.25 |
| Median as yearly pay (40 hours a week) | $56,700 |
| Middle half of jobs (range midpoints) | $23.88 to $31 |
| Typical starting rate | $24 |
| Typical top of range | $30 |
| Lowest offer | $15 |
| Highest offer | $45 |
Pay by city
| City | Jobs | Median offer | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | 8 | $26.75 | $25.38 to $29 |
| Dayton | 7 | $25.50 | $23.75 to $26.75 |
Cities with at least 5 CNC machinist job orders. Jobs in smaller towns count toward the Ohio numbers above.
What moves you to the top of the range
From the job orders we counted by hand, July 15 to September 22, 2026, before the live numbers above.
Two things show up again and again in the higher offers: doing your own setups, and programming. A machinist who can pick up a print, set up the machine, prove out the first part, and edit or write the program is the person employers pay $32 to $45 for. Running both mills and lathes also helps: jobs open to both paid a median of $28, against $26 for mill-only and $24.50 for lathe-only.
Leading people pays too: the third shift supervisor and shop supervisor jobs in our data offered $35 to $44.
How these numbers compare with salary sites
Public salary sites disagree with each other for Ohio CNC machinists, with averages anywhere from about $22 to $31 an hour depending on the site. Those figures blend operators, machinists, and programmers, and many are self-reported. The numbers on this page are only what employers were offering on real openings.
Pay figures are the hourly ranges employers set on job orders they gave Melben over the last 12 months (since July 2026), recounted every day. "Median" is the middle of each job's range, then the middle of those; the "middle half" is where the middle 50% of jobs landed. Places with fewer than 5 job orders are left out. Salary sites average what people report; these are what employers were offering.
Common questions
- What is the starting pay for a CNC machinist in Ohio?
- The typical starting rate on Ohio CNC machinist jobs is $24 an hour: half of the 62 job orders Melben has received since July 2026 started below that and half above. The lowest offer was $15.
- What do the best-paid CNC machinists in Ohio make?
- The highest offer in 62 Ohio job orders was $45 an hour, and a quarter of the jobs had a midpoint of $31 or more.
- How much do CNC machinists make in Cleveland?
- Across 8 CNC machinist job orders in Cleveland, OH, the median offer was $26.75 an hour, and half of the jobs had a midpoint between $25.38 and $29.
- How much do CNC machinists make in Dayton?
- Across 7 CNC machinist job orders in Dayton, OH, the median offer was $25.50 an hour, and half of the jobs had a midpoint between $23.75 and $26.75.
City pay pages: CNC Machinist pay in Cleveland, OH; CNC Machinist pay in Dayton, OH
Hiring CNC Machinists in Ohio? How Melben recruits them →
Every Ohio trade side by side: Ohio Skilled Trades Pay Report
Sauban Bhura founded Melben, a recruiting firm that places CNC machinists, welders, maintenance technicians and drivers with manufacturers and fleets.