Last updated May 20, 2026. Wage anchors use BLS OEWS May 2025 national data; occupation matching is interpreted for factory automation roles with help from O*NET occupation definitions.
Automation technician pay is usually built around one question: can this person keep automated equipment running when production is waiting? The title can cover PLC troubleshooting, robot recovery, sensors, drives, HMIs, electrical faults, preventive maintenance, and hands-on repair. That makes it different from a generic maintenance job and different from a desk-heavy engineering role.
The Best Official Comparisons
The closest BLS anchors are mechatronics technologists and technicians, electrical/electronic engineering technologists and technicians, and electrical/electronics repairers for commercial and industrial equipment. These are not perfect substitutes, but they capture the overlap between electronics, machinery, controls, and troubleshooting.
In May 2025 OEWS data, mechatronics technologists and technicians had a national median of $73,900. Electrical/electronic engineering technologists and technicians had a median of $78,190, and industrial electrical/electronics repairers had a median of $74,090. Strong automation technicians often sit in that zone before overtime, shift premium, and plant-specific pay rules.
Why Shift And Overtime Matter
Automation technician compensation is often not just base pay. Nights, weekends, rotating shifts, call-ins, shutdown work, and overtime can meaningfully change annual earnings. A day-shift role with clean hours and a lower base may feel better than a higher-paying role that constantly interrupts family time.
Candidates should ask how often the plant runs, whether the role supports emergency breakdowns, how overtime is assigned, and whether controls work is truly part of the job or only listed as a wish.
Skills That Move A Technician Up
The strongest automation technicians can move between electrical troubleshooting and controls diagnosis. They can read a schematic, meter a sensor, trace an input, recover a robot, interpret an HMI alarm, and communicate clearly with production.
PLC access matters, but employers usually pay for useful judgment more than for software exposure alone. A technician who can safely isolate a problem and get the right support involved is more valuable than someone who opens logic without understanding the machine.
Hiring Advice For Plants
If the job is an automation technician role, say what percentage of the work is PLC/HMI, robot, electrical, mechanical, and PM work. Good candidates want to know if they will grow into controls or spend most of the week changing parts.
Include shift, overtime, tooling, licensing, training support, and whether the person can make controlled logic changes. Those details make the posting more credible and help filter candidates who want either pure maintenance or pure programming.
BLS Wage Anchors To Compare
Data note: Automation Technician is a market title, not a single BLS occupation. The table uses May 2025 OEWS wage data for adjacent technical roles.
| BLS occupation | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17-3024 – Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians | $59,780 | $73,900 | $88,540 | $109,890 |
| 17-3023 – Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $61,610 | $78,190 | $97,650 | $115,700 |
| 49-2094 – Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment | $60,040 | $74,090 | $88,710 | $105,590 |
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How To Use This Guide
For candidates, compare the job description against the responsibility level in this guide. A title alone is not enough. Look for the platforms, equipment, travel, shift, startup pressure, and troubleshooting authority.
For employers, use the guide to decide whether the posting is priced like the work you actually need. Better detail usually means fewer weak applications and more serious candidates from the PLC, controls, robotics, and industrial electrical market.
Use this guide
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