Manufacturing Associate I Salary in the United States

How much does a Manufacturing Associate I make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Manufacturing Associate I in the United States is $43,605 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $21.

However, a Manufacturing Associate I's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $52,220
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $40,141 to $48,114
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $36,988
Compensation Planning
Develop a Job Description
Pay Equity
2025 Compensation Trend
AI-Powered HR
Recruit with AI
View as table View as graph 25% $40,141 10% $36,988 90% $52,220 75% $48,114 $43,605 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Manufacturing Associate I Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $48,114 $4,010 $925 $23
Average $43,605 $3,634 $839 $21
25th Percentile $40,141 $3,345 $772 $19
Check out Manufacturing Associate I Job Openings in the United States
Associate Manager, Manufacturing Engineering with Security Clearance

L3Harris Technologies - HUNTSVILLE, AL

Manufacturing Planner Associate with Security Clearance

Lockheed Martin - CAMDEN, AR

Search More Manufacturing Associate I Jobs in the United States

Key Factors That Influence Manufacturing Associate I Salaries

A Manufacturing Associate I's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Manufacturing Associate I Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Manufacturing Associate I's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $42,400
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $43,604
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $46,324
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $46,722
  • Expert (over 8 years): $46,921
Levels Salary
Entry Level Manufacturing Associate I$42,400
Intermediate Level Manufacturing Associate I$43,604
Senior Level Manufacturing Associate I$46,324
Specialist Level Manufacturing Associate I$46,722
Expert Level Manufacturing Associate I$46,921
$42,400 0 yr
$43,604 < 2 yrs
$46,324 2-4 yrs
$46,722 5-8 yrs
$46,921 > 8 yrs
View as Table
View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Manufacturing Associate Is

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $54,998
  • San Francisco: $54,458
  • Oakland: $53,250

What Skills Can Increase a Manufacturing Associate I's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Communication Skills (Mentioned in 4.8% Job Postings): Communication skills are your ability to share or understand information, ideas, and feelings successfully.
  • Continuous Improvement (Mentioned in 2.48% Job Postings): A continual improvement process, also often called a continuous improvement process (abbreviated as CIP or CI), is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once. Delivery (customer valued) processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility. Some see CIPs as a meta-process for most management systems (such as business process management, quality management, project management, and program management). W. Edwards Deming, a pioneer of the field, saw it as part of the 'system' whereby feedback from the process and customer were evaluated against organisational goals. The fact that it can be called a management process does not mean that it needs to be executed by 'management'; but rather merely that it makes decisions about the implementation of the delivery process and the design of the delivery process itself.
  • Purchasing (Mentioned in 1.64% Job Postings): Purchasing refers to a business or organization attempting to acquire goods or services to accomplish its goals. Although there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary greatly between organizations. Typically the word “purchasing” is not used interchangeably with the word “procurement”, since procurement typically includes expediting, supplier quality, and transportation and logistics (T&L) in addition to purchasing.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Communication Skills 4.8%
Continuous Improvement 2.48%
Purchasing 1.64%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Manufacturing Associate I's salary.
  • Project Management: Can increase your salary by up to 36%.
  • Process Improvement: Can increase your salary by up to 22%.
  • Production Planning: Can increase your salary by up to 21%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Project Management
$59,302
36%
Process Improvement
$53,197
22%
Production Planning
$52,761
21%
MRP
$52,761
21%
Supply Chain
$52,325
20%
Analysis
$51,889
19%
Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Manufacturing Associate I's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Manufacturing Associate Is enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Manufacturing Associate I with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $45,578 and $48,929).

Manufacturing Associate I Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Manufacturing Associate I
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 3.3%
High School 38.2%
Associates 22.8%
Bachelors 30.9%
Masters 4.9%
Doctorate 0.0%
view as graph

Manufacturing Associate I Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Manufacturing Associate I's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Manufacturing Associate I

Salaries for a Manufacturing Associate I can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $41,929 in 2023 to around $39,155 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Manufacturing Associate I salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Manufacturing Associate I Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$41,929
2024
$40,344
2025
$39,155
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $41,929
2024 $40,344
2025 $39,155
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Manufacturing Associate I

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
For Employers

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution.

Compensation Planning

Common company salaries for Manufacturing Associate I

Here are companies hiring for Manufacturing Associate I and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Manufacturing Associate I Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Manufacturing Associate I job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
For Employees

Get a Salary Increase

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Search Job Openings

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

For Employers

Adjust Employee Salary

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Price My Industry Jobs

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst