What hourly contracts pay
The public hourly rate of 560 real contracts posted on Automate America from 2017 to 2026, by trade and by state.
Read from the live site on November 9, 2026.
The short answer
Robot Programmer contracts on Automate America have a median public rate of $64 an hour across 190 postings; the middle half pay $56 to $68. Since 2024 the median is $64, from 38 postings.
Controls Engineer contracts on Automate America have a median public rate of $72 an hour across 107 postings; the middle half pay $59 to $80. Since 2024 the median is $80, from 42 postings.
PLC Programmer contracts on Automate America have a median public rate of $68 an hour across 104 postings; the middle half pay $56 to $76. Since 2024 the median is $74, from 16 postings.
By trade
| Trade | Postings | Median | Middle half | Recent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robot Programmer | 190 | $64 | $56 to $68 | $64 (38) |
| Controls Engineer | 107 | $72 | $59 to $80 | $80 (42) |
| PLC Programmer | 104 | $68 | $56 to $76 | $74 (16) |
| Machine Tool Builder | 13 | $44 | $40 to $52 | $52 (7) |
| Maintenance Technician | 8 | $36 | $34 to $40 | |
| Senior Controls Engineer | 7 | $60 | $52 to $72 | |
| Machine Tool Electrician | 6 | $49 | $48 to $56 | |
| Automation Engineer | 5 | $56 | $52 to $76 | |
| Electrician | 5 | $50 | $38 to $50 | |
| Robot Weld Technician | 5 | $68 | $68 to $68 |
Recent means posted in 2024 or later: the median, then the postings behind it.
By state or province
| Where | Postings | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 147 | $60 | $55 to $75 |
| South Carolina | 137 | $60 | $52 to $72 |
| Indiana | 32 | $63 | $56 to $70 |
| North Carolina | 31 | $68 | $48 to $77 |
| Ohio | 28 | $68 | $48 to $72 |
| Alabama | 24 | $64 | $56 to $72 |
| Georgia | 19 | $68 | $52 to $72 |
| Tennessee | 18 | $67 | $58 to $80 |
| Texas | 17 | $88 | $56 to $90 |
| Ontario | 13 | $68 | $68 to $76 |
| Kentucky | 12 | $62 | $56 to $68 |
| California | 11 | $88 | $52 to $88 |
| Illinois | 7 | $68 | $52 to $72 |
| Missouri | 7 | $68 | $60 to $76 |
| Wisconsin | 7 | $68 | $68 to $72 |
| Iowa | 6 | $76 | $60 to $81 |
| Kansas | 5 | $88 | $77 to $88 |
By trade and state
| Trade and state | Postings | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robot Programmer, Michigan | 54 | $56 | $52 to $60 |
| Robot Programmer, South Carolina | 37 | $64 | $58 to $72 |
| Controls Engineer, Michigan | 31 | $76 | $54 to $80 |
| PLC Programmer, South Carolina | 29 | $68 | $60 to $81 |
| PLC Programmer, Michigan | 26 | $60 | $54 to $68 |
| Robot Programmer, Indiana | 15 | $60 | $59 to $72 |
| Robot Programmer, North Carolina | 13 | $68 | $60 to $68 |
| Controls Engineer, South Carolina | 11 | $72 | $60 to $80 |
| PLC Programmer, North Carolina | 10 | $77 | $68 to $77 |
| Robot Programmer, Georgia | 9 | $68 | $68 to $68 |
| Robot Programmer, Ohio | 9 | $68 | $68 to $77 |
| Robot Programmer, Tennessee | 8 | $64 | $58 to $68 |
| Robot Programmer, Texas | 8 | $88 | $52 to $88 |
| Controls Engineer, Alabama | 7 | $72 | $64 to $72 |
| Machine Tool Builder, South Carolina | 7 | $52 | $44 to $52 |
| Robot Programmer, Ontario | 7 | $68 | $68 to $68 |
| Controls Engineer, California | 6 | $88 | $88 to $88 |
| Controls Engineer, Indiana | 6 | $47 | $44 to $60 |
| Maintenance Technician, South Carolina | 6 | $36 | $36 to $40 |
| PLC Programmer, Kentucky | 6 | $60 | $56 to $68 |
| PLC Programmer, Ohio | 5 | $72 | $49 to $81 |
| Robot Programmer, Alabama | 5 | $68 | $68 to $86 |
| Robot Programmer, Illinois | 5 | $72 | $64 to $72 |
By year posted
| Year | Postings | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 13 | $58 | $51 to $59 |
| 2018 | 115 | $68 | $58 to $77 |
| 2019 | 61 | $54 | $45 to $68 |
| 2020 | 49 | $52 | $47 to $60 |
| 2021 | 68 | $60 | $48 to $72 |
| 2022 | 57 | $68 | $60 to $80 |
| 2023 | 66 | $68 | $56 to $75 |
| 2024 | 40 | $72 | $68 to $80 |
| 2025 | 36 | $70 | $60 to $80 |
| 2026 | 55 | $64 | $56 to $80 |
How these numbers are made
- Each posting is a public hourly contract on Automate America, open or closed, with its own page.
- A public rate is the hourly rate shown on that page. Overtime, double time and per diem are not in these numbers.
- A row needs at least 5 postings. Rows with fewer are held back: 72 trades, 24 states and 154 trade and state pairs today.
- 31 postings are left out: 30 show no rate, and 1 show a rate under $15 or over $300 an hour, treated as a typing error.
- The numbers are read fresh on every visit. Rates are whole dollars. The middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile.