Engine and Other Machine Assemblers in the Muskegon-Norton Shores Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Engine and Other Machine Assemblers pay in Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI at a median of $40,360 per year ($19.40/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $53,710, the metro estimate is 25% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 60 engine and other machine assemblers are employed across the Muskegon-Norton Shores MSA in SOC 51-2031.

The Muskegon-Norton Shores pay distribution spans from $31,520 at the 10th percentile to $61,140 at the 90th, a 1.9× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $33,670 and the 75th at $47,190, so half of Muskegon-Norton Shores-based engine and other machine assemblers earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide MI estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.