State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Team Assembler Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Team Assemblers earn a median of $44,650 per year ($21.47/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 0.1% through 2034, with about 156,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 51-2092ProductionLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $44,650
- Projected growth
- -0.1%
- Openings a year
- 156,300
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Assembler, Assembly Associate, Assembly Line Machine Operator, Assembly Line Worker, Assembly Operator, Assembly Technician.
How much do Team Assemblers make?
10th percentile$33,280
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$37,380
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$44,650
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$51,200
Upper quartile
90th percentile$64,880
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $44,650 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $21.47/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $46,660 |
| People employed | 1,405,030 |
Versus all US occupations
At $44,650, Team Assemblers earn 12% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $6,330 a year.
Versus production occupations
Inside the Production group, where the middle occupation pays $47,920, this is 7% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $64,880 or more while the bottom 10% earn $33,280, a gap of 1.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 16% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($50,330), but once local prices are taken into account Iowa leads at $55,742 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Team Assemblers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $50,330 | $45,796 | 80 |
| Hawaii | $49,630 | $45,138 | 420 |
| Alaska | $49,390 | $48,252 | 220 |
| Nevada | $49,050 | $49,060 | 11,290 |
| Iowa | $48,920 | $55,742 | 19,540 |
| Washington | $48,260 | $45,097 | 16,990 |
| Kentucky | $47,950 | $53,184 | 47,320 |
| California | $47,720 | $43,100 | 98,390 |
| North Dakota | $47,250 | $53,114 | 4,410 |
| New Hampshire | $46,940 | $45,063 | 6,130 |
Is Team Assembler a growing career?
Team Assemblers-0.1%
All US occupations3.1%
-0.1% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Declining
BLS projects employment of Team Assemblers to change -0.1% over 2024–2034, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.1%. That is 1,300 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 156,300 openings are projected each year, 10.7% of the 1,467,100 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of assemblers and fabricators is projected to grow 1 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Projected employment of assemblers and fabricators varies by occupation (see table).
In general, employment of assemblers and fabricators is projected to decline or have limited growth because many manufacturing sectors are expected to become more efficient and able to produce more with fewer workers.
How to become a Team Assembler
The education and qualifications typically needed to enter these occupations vary by industry and employer. Although a high school diploma is enough for most jobs, experience and training are needed for advanced assembly work.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as team assemblers.
- High School Diploma81.5%
- Bachelor's Degree6.7%
- Some College Courses6.6%
- Less than a High School Diploma3.8%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)0.9%
What does a Team Assembler do?
Work as part of a team having responsibility for assembling an entire product or component of a product. Team assemblers can perform all tasks conducted by the team in the assembly process and rotate through all or most of them, rather than being assigned to a specific task on a permanent basis. May participate in making management decisions affecting the work. Includes team leaders who work as part of the team.
Assemblers and fabricators build finished products and the parts that go into them. They use handtools and machines to make vehicles, toys, electronic devices, and more.
Day-to-day tasks
- Perform quality checks on products and parts.
- Shovel, sweep, or otherwise clean work areas.
- Review work orders and blueprints to ensure work is performed according to specifications.
- Rotate through all the tasks required in a particular production process.
- Supervise assemblers and train employees on job procedures.
- Determine work assignments and procedures.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.1/5
- Monitoring3.1/5
- Reading Comprehension3.0/5
- Speaking3.0/5
- Critical Thinking3.0/5
- Writing2.8/5
- Learning Strategies2.4/5
- Active Learning2.3/5
Transferable skills
- Quality Control Analysis3.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.0/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Instructing3.0/5
- Operations Monitoring3.0/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.9/5
- Operation and Control2.8/5
Tools and software
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Team Assembler?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary5.4
Investigative1.4
Artistic1.6
Social2.4
Enterprisingprimary3.9
Conventionalprimary4.6
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Team Assembler: frequently asked questions
How much do Team Assemblers make?
Team Assemblers earn a median of $44,650 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 12% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $21.47/hr. The middle half earn between $37,380 and $51,200. The top 10% earn $64,880 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Team Assembler?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Team Assemblers. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 81.5% hold high school diploma.
Is Team Assembler a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 0.1% over 2024–2034, a loss of 1,300 jobs (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 156,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Team Assembler do?
Assemblers and fabricators build finished products and the parts that go into them. A core O*NET task: perform quality checks on products and parts. Employers most often ask for Computer aided design CAD software, Electronic mail software, Enterprise resource planning ERP software.
Which states pay Team Assemblers the most?
The highest state medians for Team Assemblers are District of Columbia ($50,330), Hawaii ($49,630), Alaska ($49,390) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Iowa moves to the top at $55,742.
What personality type suits a Team Assembler?
O*NET scores Team Assemblers highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.