Best Cities for Tool and Die Makerss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where tool and die makerss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.60	$116,850	$102,231	23%
2	WashingtonState	1.59	$109,390	$101,948	21%
3	KansasState	1.46	$83,890	$93,211	15%
4	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	1.44	$85,740	$92,392	18%
5	MaineState	1.25	$79,910	$80,070	19%
6	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.25	$73,120	$80,175	20%
7	North DakotaState	1.23	$73,130	$78,974	16%
8	NebraskaState	1.18	$69,150	$75,574	18%
9	IndianaState	1.17	$68,050	$75,193	19%
10	KentuckyState	1.17	$66,570	$75,220	17%
11	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	1.17	$74,840	$75,216	24%
12	AlabamaState	1.16	$64,800	$74,397	18%
13	OklahomaState	1.16	$65,870	$74,429	18%
14	WisconsinState	1.15	$68,120	$73,803	19%
15	IowaState	1.14	$65,000	$72,870	18%
16	ConnecticutState	1.13	$77,540	$72,063	24%
17	MinnesotaState	1.13	$71,020	$72,469	22%
18	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.13	$77,780	$72,152	28%
19	OregonState	1.12	$73,930	$71,777	26%
20	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	1.12	$69,210	$71,944	27%
21	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.12	$74,070	$71,565	26%
22	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	1.12	$66,240	$72,000	24%
23	MichiganState	1.11	$65,590	$71,062	20%
24	South CarolinaState	1.11	$65,250	$70,924	23%
25	CaliforniaState	1.09	$77,030	$69,584	35%
26	OhioState	1.08	$62,280	$68,894	20%
27	MississippiState	1.07	$57,980	$68,373	19%
28	MissouriState	1.07	$60,810	$68,634	20%
29	New JerseyState	1.07	$74,460	$68,438	29%
30	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	1.07	$77,620	$68,388	40%
31	VermontState	1.06	$69,300	$67,610	25%
32	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	1.05	$78,020	$66,970	35%
33	TennesseeState	1.04	$60,760	$66,404	25%
34	ArkansasState	1.03	$56,840	$65,863	19%
35	New HampshireState	1.03	$69,910	$65,953	27%
36	South DakotaState	1.03	$59,770	$65,826	19%
37	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	1.03	$61,160	$66,119	23%
38	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.02	$62,440	$65,177	29%
39	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	1.02	$64,460	$65,442	32%
40	North CarolinaState	1.01	$61,060	$64,682	26%
41	GeorgiaState	1.00	$60,020	$64,261	28%
42	Rhode IslandState	0.99	$63,430	$63,114	28%
43	Columbus, OHMetro	0.99	$59,350	$63,476	26%
44	FloridaState	0.98	$63,890	$62,946	32%
45	IllinoisState	0.98	$61,170	$62,803	26%
46	PennsylvaniaState	0.98	$61,160	$63,052	25%
47	MassachusettsState	0.97	$67,230	$61,963	40%
48	VirginiaState	0.97	$64,050	$61,884	30%
49	NevadaState	0.96	$61,350	$61,228	28%
50	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	0.96	$59,910	$61,636	32%
51	ColoradoState	0.95	$63,800	$60,531	35%
52	IdahoState	0.94	$57,800	$59,896	25%
53	New YorkState	0.94	$68,080	$60,516	33%
54	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	0.94	$58,110	$60,031	33%
55	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.93	$64,400	$59,355	38%
56	ArizonaState	0.92	$59,140	$58,612	30%
57	TexasState	0.91	$55,470	$58,023	30%
58	UtahState	0.88	$56,740	$56,627	32%
59	West VirginiaState	0.86	$46,190	$54,857	22%
60	MarylandState	0.83	$58,110	$53,214	35%
61	LouisianaState	0.81	$46,950	$52,109	27%
62	New MexicoState	0.81	$47,960	$52,130	26%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).