Production
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.
MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES
A wage reference for United States.
Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.
Source wage group: Machinists
This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Machinists. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.
May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.
Median annual wage$58,750USD per year · Published 50th percentile
Median hourly wage$28.24USD per hour · Published 50th percentile
Annual wage thresholds
USD per year
Hourly wage thresholds
USD per hour
| Percentile | Annual wage (USD/year) | Hourly wage (USD/hour) |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $39,200 | $18.85 |
| 25th | $47,570 | $22.87 |
| 50th · Median | $58,750 | $28.24 |
| 75th | $67,700 | $32.55 |
| 90th | $80,010 | $38.47 |
“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.
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THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE
What this career involves.
Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.
Selected title examples
Aircraft MachinistAuto Machinist (Automotive Machinist)Carbide OperatorCNC Lathe Machinist (Computer Numeric Controlled Lathe Machinist)CNC Lathe Machinist (Computer Numerically Controlled Lathe Machinist)CNC Machinist (Computer Numeric Controlled Machinist)CNC Machinist (Computer Numerical Control Machinist)CNC Machinist (Computer Numerically Controlled Machinist)CNC Mill Machinist (Computer Numeric Controlled Mill Machinist)CNC Mill Machinist (Computer Numerically Controlled Mill Machinist)CNC Milling Machinist (Computer Numeric Control Milling Machinist)CNC Swiss Machinist (Computer Numeric Controlled Swiss Machinist)
Expand more title examples (40)
Conventional MachinistDevelopment MechanicElectrical Experimental MechanicElectrical Instrument MakerElectrical MachinistExperimental MachinistExperimental MechanicFixture MakerFluid-Power MechanicFour-Slide OperatorGear MachinistGeothermal Heat Pump MachinistHydroelectric Component MachinistInstrument MakerInstrument Maker and RepairerJobberLaboratory Machinist (Lab Machinist)Lathe MachinistLight Fixture MakerMachine FitterMachine Repair PersonMachinistMaintenance MachinistManual Lathe MachinistManual MachinistMechanistMetal MachinistOutside MachinistOutside Ship MachinistPrecision Instrument MakerPrecision MachinistPrinting Press MachinistProduction MachinistThermometer MakerTool and Die MachinistTool MachinistTool Room MachinistToolroom MachinistTurret Lathe MachinistWind Turbine Machinist
Typical tasks
- Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments, such as micrometers or vernier calipers.
- 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.
- Set up, adjust, or operate basic or specialized machine tools used to perform precision machining operations.
- Program computers or electronic instruments, such as numerically controlled machine tools.
- Study sample parts, blueprints, drawings, or engineering information to determine methods or sequences of operations needed to fabricate products.
Expand more tasks (23)
- Monitor the feed and speed of machines during the machining process.
- Maintain machine tools in proper operational condition.
- Fit and assemble parts to make or repair machine tools.
- Align and secure holding fixtures, cutting tools, attachments, accessories, or materials onto machines.
- Confer with numerical control programmers to check and ensure that new programs or machinery will function properly and that output will meet specifications.
- Operate equipment to verify operational efficiency.
- Evaluate machining procedures and recommend changes or modifications for improved efficiency or adaptability.
- Diagnose machine tool malfunctions to determine need for adjustments or repairs.
- Design fixtures, tooling, or experimental parts to meet special engineering needs.
- Dispose of scrap or waste material in accordance with company policies and environmental regulations.
- Confer with engineering, supervisory, or manufacturing personnel to exchange technical information.
- Lay out, measure, and mark metal stock to display placement of cuts.
- Separate scrap waste and related materials for reuse, recycling, or disposal.
- Check work pieces to ensure that they are properly lubricated or cooled.
- Support metalworking projects from planning and fabrication through assembly, inspection, and testing, using knowledge of machine functions, metal properties, and mathematics.
- Install repaired parts into equipment or install new equipment.
- Dismantle machines or equipment, using hand tools or power tools to examine parts for defects and replace defective parts where needed.
- Test experimental models under simulated operating conditions, for purposes such as development, standardization, or feasibility of design.
- Set up or operate metalworking, brazing, heat-treating, welding, or cutting equipment.
- Prepare working sketches for the illustration of product appearance.
- Establish work procedures for fabricating new structural products, using a variety of metalworking machines.
- Install experimental parts or assemblies, such as hydraulic systems, electrical wiring, lubricants, or batteries into machines or mechanisms.
- Advise clients about the materials being used for finished products.
Skills used in this work
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Expand more skills (29)
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
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