SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems. Includes diamond polishers and gem cutters, and persons who perform precision casting and modeling of molds, casting metal in molds, or setting precious and semiprecious stones for jewelry and related products.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 51-9071.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $35,580 | $2,965 | $684 | $17.11 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $39,520 | $3,293 | $760 | $19.00 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $52,540 | $4,378 | $1,010 | $25.26 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $69,810 | $5,818 | $1,342 | $33.56 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $87,540 | $7,295 | $1,683 | $42.09 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers is $52,540, which is 3% higher. Among the 105 occupations of the field Production, it ranks number 27 by median pay. With 22,440 jobs, it makes up about 1.4 of every 10,000 jobs in the country. The average ($57,960) is well above the median, a sign that a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up.
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers pay by state
The highest median pay was in Connecticut ($69,800), Virginia ($61,940) and New York ($61,720). The lowest was in Arkansas ($35,950), Montana ($37,580) and Utah ($39,860). The most jobs were in New York (4,300), California (2,300) and Texas (1,810). The occupation is most concentrated in Rhode Island, where its share of all jobs is 7.5 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 140 | $69,800 | $66,520 | $33.56 |
| Virginia | 240 | $61,940 | $62,440 | $29.78 |
| New York | 4,300 | $61,720 | $68,730 | $29.67 |
| California | 2,300 | $60,790 | $61,830 | $29.23 |
| South Carolina | 200 | $60,380 | $58,410 | $29.03 |
| Washington | 290 | $60,380 | $65,850 | $29.03 |
| New Jersey | 780 | $59,480 | $61,210 | $28.60 |
| Vermont | 50 | $58,570 | $58,700 | $28.16 |
| Kansas | 110 | $57,730 | $56,210 | $27.75 |
| Colorado | 220 | $57,120 | $58,680 | $27.46 |
| North Dakota | 50 | $57,020 | $53,550 | $27.42 |
| Michigan | 460 | $56,610 | $57,620 | $27.21 |
| Missouri | 490 | $56,140 | $55,950 | $26.99 |
| Wisconsin | 280 | $55,830 | $55,730 | $26.84 |
| North Carolina | 770 | $55,420 | $58,650 | $26.65 |
| Mississippi | 40 | $55,010 | $52,280 | $26.45 |
| Illinois | 610 | $54,990 | $55,790 | $26.44 |
| Pennsylvania | 760 | $54,880 | $56,960 | $26.39 |
| Minnesota | 220 | $54,310 | $51,630 | $26.11 |
| Florida | 1,070 | $51,470 | $58,460 | $24.74 |
| Louisiana | 280 | $51,420 | $51,390 | $24.72 |
| Massachusetts | 830 | $51,060 | $54,890 | $24.55 |
| Iowa | 160 | $50,280 | $53,830 | $24.17 |
| Alabama | 110 | $48,890 | $49,330 | $23.50 |
| Rhode Island | 540 | $48,800 | $55,520 | $23.46 |
| Hawaii | 170 | $48,450 | $52,210 | $23.29 |
| Tennessee | 370 | $48,240 | $49,330 | $23.19 |
| Ohio | 430 | $48,190 | $54,210 | $23.17 |
| Maine | 50 | $48,080 | $57,060 | $23.11 |
| Georgia | 420 | $47,810 | $55,120 | $22.99 |
| Indiana | 380 | $47,620 | $49,420 | $22.90 |
| Texas | 1,810 | $47,590 | $53,830 | $22.88 |
| Idaho | 130 | $47,090 | $49,650 | $22.64 |
| Kentucky | 320 | $47,090 | $50,690 | $22.64 |
| Nebraska | 120 | $46,920 | $51,000 | $22.56 |
| West Virginia | 30 | $46,370 | $43,740 | $22.29 |
| New Mexico | 230 | $46,200 | $46,240 | $22.21 |
| Maryland | 80 | $45,430 | $49,690 | $21.84 |
| South Dakota | 90 | $45,110 | $48,520 | $21.69 |
| Oregon | 530 | $44,510 | $55,160 | $21.40 |
| New Hampshire | 170 | $43,520 | $52,360 | $20.92 |
| Arizona | 440 | $42,240 | $48,730 | $20.31 |
| Oklahoma | 180 | $41,720 | $44,390 | $20.06 |
| Nevada | 330 | $40,510 | $47,160 | $19.47 |
| Utah | 420 | $39,860 | $44,360 | $19.16 |
| Montana | 80 | $37,580 | $46,150 | $18.07 |
| Arkansas | 270 | $35,950 | $42,870 | $17.28 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,750 a year
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers$53,710 a year
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$52,800 a year
- Pourers and Casters, Metal$51,810 a year
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,610 a year
- Semiconductor Processing Technicians$51,430 a year
Common questions
How much do Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers earn in the United States?
The median pay was $52,540 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $35,580 and the highest-paid 10% more than $87,540.
How many people work as Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers?
About 22,440 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.