Machinists
Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.
- Median pay
- $58,750
- Doing it now
- 288,300
- By 2035
- Up 1%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
a year
across the country
26,100 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, shapers, or grinders.
- Measure, examine, or test completed units to check for defects and ensure conformance to specifications, using precision instruments, such as micrometers.
- Align and secure holding fixtures, cutting tools, attachments, accessories, or materials onto machines.
- Monitor the feed and speed of machines during the machining process.
- Lay out, measure, and mark metal stock to display placement of cuts.
- Check work pieces to ensure that they are properly lubricated or cooled.
- Operate equipment to verify operational efficiency.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Precision Metal WorkingSee 4 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Organised and precise
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
- Tool and Die Makers$64,050
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$51,330
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,330
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,180
- Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,720
- Sheet Metal Workers$61,800
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $58,750 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.