National Averages

• There were 209,730 brake press operators in 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These workers earned a national average salary of $14.65 an hour or $30,480 per year. Brake press operators in the top 10th percentile of workers made an average of $20.64 per hour or $42,930 per year, while those in the lowest 10th percentile made $9.32 per hour or $19,380 per year.
  
  

Most Common Sectors

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the "architectural and structural metals manufacturing" sector of the industry employed the highest number of press operators in 2009. There were 19,470 workers employed in this sector, earning an average wage of $14.60 per hour or $30,360 per year. The "employment services" sector employed the next highest number of press operators, with the estimated 18,820 workers in this sector making an average of $11.93 an hour or $24,810 per year.
  
  

Highest Paying Sectors

• Brake press operators employed in the motor vehicle manufacturing sector had the highest average salaries out of all sectors in 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The estimated 1,620 workers in this sector earned an average of $29.35 per hour or $61,050 per year. Those in the second-highest paying sector, "building finishing contractors," earned an average of $21.04 an hour or $43,770 per year.
  
  

Geographic Differences

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that brake press operators in Maryland, Michigan, Washington, Nevada and Vermont had the highest average wages out of all states in 2009. Press operators in Maryland, the state with the highest average income, earned $17.01 an hour or $35,380 per year. Those in Vermont, the fifth-highest paying state, earned an average of $16.28 an hour or $33,860 per year.