Pay Rates in Manufacturing

Compensation in Manufacturing, 25th Edition - 2005

PUBLISHED: July 2005

The following summary of the eight volume Compensation in Manufacturing, 25th Edition - 2005 survey report of 188 benchmark jobs from Abbott, Langer & Associates, Inc.  describes the highest and lowest paid job characteristics, the national median total cash compensation for 56 benchmark jobs, and the factors affecting salary (Type of Product, Level of Supervisory/Managerial Responsibility, Size of Organization and Geographic Location).

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The composite highest-income practitioner in this field (salary plus cash bonus and/or cash profit sharing) is the President of a manufacturing firm which manufactures drugs & medicine, food/beverage/tobacco products, apparel/textile mill products, measuring & controlling devices, building materials, rubber/plastic products, chemical & allied products, and fabricated metal products; has 500 or more employees; has a total annual revenue of $50,000,000 or more; and is headquartered in or near Chicago, Omaha, Houston, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York City, Detroit, or Sacramento, or outside the metropolitan areas studied in Michigan, Mississippi, Idaho, or Florida. While the median President "B" (defined as a chief executive officer who has little or no financial interest in the firm) has a total annual income of $165,000 and the median President "A" (defined as having a financial interest in the firm) has a total annual income of $200,000, the highest-income individuals reported make well over $1,000,000.

Far toward the other end of the income spectrum, Assemblers "D" have a median income of $22,764. Sometimes earning under $16,000, the lowest-paid employees in this group are employed by firms that manufacture stone/clay/concrete/glass products, rubber/plastic products, or automotive parts & accessories; have under $500 million in total annual revenue; have under 500 employees; and are headquartered in or near Dallas/Ft. Worth, Louisville, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Omaha, Cleveland, Baltimore, Houston, Chicago, or Toledo, or outside the metropolitan areas studied in Wisconsin, Connecticut, Michigan, Indiana, or Missouri.

These composites represent the briefest possible "boil-down" of the voluminous data provided regarding current salaries and cash bonuses and/or profit sharing, and numerous demographic variables provided by 314 firms on over 53,000 managerial, supervisory, sales, engineering, technical, clerical, and blue-collar employees in 188 benchmark jobs which resulted in the eight-volume survey report, Compensation in Manufacturing, 25th Edition - 2005, sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers. Copies of the entire report are available for $1,495.00 through our On-Line Order Form or from Abbott, Langer & Associates, Inc., Dept. NET, 548 First St., Crete, IL 60417 (telephone 708/672-4200; fax 708/672-4674).  An eight-volume companion report, Compensation in Smaller Manufacturing Firms (those with under 250 employees), is available for $795.00. Each volume of both reports may be purchased separately.

Now, we also offer a findpay program to locate and analyze all the information from all  eight-volumes of the printed report and more quickly and easily on your Windows computer for $2,495.00. With the findpay software, you can analyze all the survey results, limit your analysis to the results from each printed volume separately, or produce results unavailable in the printed report. Computer software can only be returned for exchange if defective, but you can download and review a free working demo of the findpay program (limited to a single variable at a time) with all the data from the recent survey here.

The median annual incomes (salaries plus cash bonuses/profit sharing/commissions) of some of the other 186 benchmark jobs for which income data are reported are:

Naturally, these nation-wide pay rates vary by region, state & metropolitan area, gross annual sales, size of firm, type of product, and supervisory/managerial responsibility involved - all demographic variables for which data are provided in the complete report and findpay program.

Type of Product

Overall, administrative, fiscal, and information technology employees are paid best by manufacturers of drugs & medicine ($80,403), ferrous primary metal products ($77,508), rubber/plastic products ($73,440), and medical/engineering/scientific equipment ($72,690), and worst in firms producing building materials ($52,263), aerospace/aircraft products ($54,000), and non-ferrous primary metal products ($55,983).

Employees in the sales/marketing group enjoy the highest pay in firms that produce electrical/electronics products ($76,179), drugs & medicine ($69,245), and machinery & heavy equipment ($65,400). Pay is lowest among producers of ferrous primary metal products ($32,166), furniture & wood products ($41,594), and heating/air conditioning/refrigeration products ($42,426).

Clerical personnel are paid best by firms that manufacture drugs & medicine ($39,426), medical/engineering/scientific equipment ($34,840), and chemical & allied products ($34,000). They have the lowest median incomes in firms that produce furniture & wood products ($25,827), paper products/printing/publishing ($25,842), and food/beverage/tobacco products ($27,196).

Engineering/technical employees have the highest median incomes among manufacturers of drugs & medicine ($70,762), electrical/electronics products ($61,511), and food/beverage/tobacco products ($60,639). The lowest median income is reported among manufacturers of medical/engineering/scientific equipment ($33,748), heating/air conditioning/refrigeration products ($37,080), and paper products/printing/publishing.

Maintenance/material acquisition personnel are best paid by firms that manufacture aerospace/aircraft products ($41,080), chemical & allied products ($40,096), and non-ferrous primary metal products ($37,848). This group of employees are least paid by manufacturers of rubber/plastic products ($23,822), furniture & wood products ($26,507), and paper products/printing/publishing ($27,356).

Managerial and supervisory personnel in plant/manufacturing/production functions receive the highest median incomes when employed by firms producing drugs & medicine ($72,429), paper products/printing/publishing ($72,344), and non- ferrous primary metal products ($69,416), and the lowest median incomes when employed by companies producing furniture & wood products ($39,770), apparel/textile mill products ($41,162), and fabricated metal products ($44,686).

Quality assurance/control, regulatory affairs, and documentation employees are paid best by producers of drugs & medicine ($43,583), apparel/textile mill products ($42,640), and machinery & heavy equipment ($39,317). They are paid least by manufacturers of automobiles/trucks/automotive parts & accessories ($26,554), rubber/plastic products ($27,763), and furniture & wood products ($27,882).

Production employees in firms of 250 employees or more fare best among producers of chemical & allied products ($41,044), machinery & heavy equipment ($36,796), and rubber/plastic products ($30,996), and worst among manufacturers of food/beverage/tobacco products ($23,030), building materials ($23,200), and automobiles/trucks/automotive parts & accessories ($23,243).

Production employees in firms of under 250 employees are paid best by manufacturers of machinery & heavy equipment ($34,216), non-ferrous primary metal products ($32,490), and chemical & allied products ($32,000), and least by manufacturers of apparel/textile mill products ($12,480), plastic/rubber products ($23,400), electrical/electronics products ($23,454), and heating/air conditioning/refrigeration products ($23,860).

Level of Managerial/Supervisory Responsibility

This factor is an excellent predictor of overall income in the manufacturing field. In firms with 250 or more employees, median income increases from $79,600 for those supervising under five professionals to $131,054 for those who direct the activities of 50 to 249 professionals. Median income increases further (to $200,000) for those who direct the activities of 250 or more professionals and non-professionals.

In firms with under 250 employees, median income increases from $49,106 for those supervising under five non-professionals to $110,949 for those who direct the activities of 10 to 49 professional employees, and to $160,000 for those who direct the activities of 100 to 249 professionals and non-professionals.

Size of Organization and Geographic Location

Median income for job families and individual jobs varies significantly by size of organization and location. While the compensation data were analyzed by size of organization and region, state, and metropolitan area, the data are too voluminous to allow for succinct commentary herein and must be left to the complete report.

the eight-volume survey report, Compensation in Manufacturing, 25th Edition - 2005, described on this page for $1,495, with charges for shipping & handling (and IL sales tax, if applicable). The report is IN STOCK and can be shipped out within two business days. The mean, median, 1st and 3rd quartile, and 1st and 9th decile data for base salary, bonus/commission/profit sharing, and total annual cash compensation are reported for many demographic variables, including education, experience, geographic location, type and size of employer, etc. To purchase the report, use our On-Line Order Form, call 708/672-4200, email, fax, or write per the information at the bottom of this page.

See other salary and benefits survey reports in manufacturing