Tool and Die Makers
Tool and Die Makers (SOC 51-4111) earn a median $64,050 a year ($30.79 an hour) in the United States, with 56,930 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Washington.
What tool and die makers do
Tool and die makers make and service dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, and gauges, as well as the hand tools machinists use. They begin with blueprints, sketches, or models, working out dimensions, tolerances, and operation sequences, and then lay out the metal stock. Lathes, milling machines, grinders, and CNC equipment shape the components, and the maker fits and assembles the pieces, using hand tools and sometimes welders. Finished tools are checked closely with precision instruments for smoothness, contour, and clearances, and then reworked until correct. Existing dies, jigs, and fixtures are also modified, so the work includes reworking tools as well as making them. The maker also chooses metals and alloys by properties such as hardness or heat tolerance, and lifts, positions, and secures machined parts on surface plates or worktables with hoists, vises, v-blocks, or angle plates.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, a post-secondary certificate is the most common level of education reported by workers in this occupation.
Also called: Bench Tool Maker, Broach Setter, Cam Maker, Carbide Operator, Carbide Tool Maker.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $21.48 | $24.75 | $30.79 | $37.87 | $44.56 | $32.14 | 56,930 |
| Annual | $44,680 | $51,490 | $64,050 | $78,770 | $92,680 | $66,860 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where tool and die makers earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Washington | Hourly | $28.15 | $33.92 | $52.59 | $56.18 | $56.18 | $46.68 | 1,510 | 0.43 | 1.16 |
| Annual | $58,560 | $70,550 | $109,390 | $116,850 | $116,850 | $97,090 | ||||
| Kansas | Hourly | $24.69 | $30.07 | $40.33 | $40.45 | $44.56 | $36.52 | 660 | 0.46 | 1.25 |
| Annual | $51,350 | $62,540 | $83,890 | $84,140 | $92,670 | $75,960 | ||||
| Maine | Hourly | $24.29 | $29.93 | $38.42 | $39.83 | $42.25 | $35.21 | 80 | 0.12 | 0.33 |
| Annual | $50,510 | $62,250 | $79,910 | $82,840 | $87,870 | $73,240 | ||||
| Connecticut | Hourly | $22.97 | $29.36 | $37.28 | $42.53 | $48.17 | $36.31 | 1,880 | 1.11 | 3.03 |
| Annual | $47,770 | $61,060 | $77,540 | $88,460 | $100,200 | $75,520 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $21.97 | $26.27 | $37.04 | $44.47 | $50.12 | $36.12 | 1,790 | 0.10 | 0.27 |
| Annual | $45,710 | $54,640 | $77,030 | $92,510 | $104,260 | $75,120 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Michigan | Hourly | $22.56 | $26.78 | $31.53 | $38.75 | $44.67 | $33.02 | 9,420 | 2.14 | 5.84 |
| Annual | $46,930 | $55,700 | $65,590 | $80,590 | $92,910 | $68,670 | ||||
| Ohio | Hourly | $20.23 | $23.54 | $29.94 | $36.26 | $40.79 | $30.37 | 5,520 | 1.00 | 2.72 |
| Annual | $42,080 | $48,960 | $62,280 | $75,410 | $84,840 | $63,170 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $18.99 | $22.61 | $29.41 | $35.84 | $39.68 | $29.36 | 5,220 | 0.86 | 2.34 |
| Annual | $39,490 | $47,030 | $61,170 | $74,560 | $82,520 | $61,060 | ||||
| Indiana | Hourly | $22.50 | $28.48 | $32.72 | $39.49 | $44.68 | $33.47 | 4,090 | 1.28 | 3.49 |
| Annual | $46,810 | $59,240 | $68,050 | $82,150 | $92,940 | $69,620 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $22.12 | $23.85 | $29.40 | $34.52 | $37.55 | $29.66 | 3,380 | 0.56 | 1.52 |
| Annual | $46,010 | $49,610 | $61,160 | $71,810 | $78,090 | $61,690 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Hourly | $37.37 | $51.93 | $56.18 | $56.18 | $56.18 | $51.69 | 1,090 | 0.52 | 1.42 |
| Annual | $77,730 | $108,010 | $116,850 | $116,850 | $116,850 | $107,510 | ||||
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | Hourly | $24.49 | $33.20 | $46.91 | $49.70 | $61.23 | $43.59 | 130 | 0.05 | 0.15 |
| Annual | $50,940 | $69,060 | $97,560 | $103,370 | $127,360 | $90,660 | ||||
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | Hourly | $25.44 | $36.23 | $41.94 | $47.77 | $48.59 | $40.14 | 60 | 0.13 | 0.35 |
| Annual | $52,910 | $75,360 | $87,240 | $99,360 | $101,080 | $83,480 | ||||
| Kansas City, MO-KS | Hourly | $22.96 | $30.49 | $41.22 | $45.02 | $45.11 | $37.85 | 450 | 0.41 | 1.12 |
| Annual | $47,750 | $63,420 | $85,740 | $93,640 | $93,840 | $78,720 | ||||
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | Hourly | $21.83 | $27.31 | $40.87 | $47.91 | $52.50 | $38.60 | 100 | 0.07 | 0.18 |
| Annual | $45,400 | $56,810 | $85,010 | $99,650 | $109,200 | $80,280 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | Hourly | $23.03 | $28.67 | $35.15 | $41.42 | $44.68 | $34.19 | 4,900 | 2.58 | 7.03 |
| Annual | $47,900 | $59,630 | $73,120 | $86,160 | $92,930 | $71,120 | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $19.24 | $22.67 | $29.41 | $35.92 | $39.93 | $29.73 | 3,750 | 0.83 | 2.27 |
| Annual | $40,010 | $47,150 | $61,180 | $74,720 | $83,050 | $61,830 | ||||
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | Hourly | $22.22 | $26.76 | $31.08 | $36.57 | $43.25 | $31.82 | 1,540 | 2.57 | 7.01 |
| Annual | $46,220 | $55,660 | $64,650 | $76,070 | $89,970 | $66,180 | ||||
| Cleveland, OH | Hourly | $21.31 | $24.64 | $30.80 | $36.75 | $44.35 | $31.37 | 1,280 | 1.24 | 3.40 |
| Annual | $44,330 | $51,250 | $64,070 | $76,440 | $92,250 | $65,240 | ||||
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Hourly | $37.37 | $51.93 | $56.18 | $56.18 | $56.18 | $51.69 | 1,090 | 0.52 | 1.42 |
| Annual | $77,730 | $108,010 | $116,850 | $116,850 | $116,850 | $107,510 | ||||
Top industries employing tool and die makers
Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing employ 17.8% of tool and die makers nationally (10,160 jobs) at a median $61,910 a year ($29.76 an hour), followed by Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing (15.7%) and Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) (13.3%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing NAICS 333500 | 10,160 | 17.8% | $61,910 | $29.76 |
| Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing NAICS 336300 | 8,930 | 15.7% | $72,840 | $35.02 |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) NAICS 3320A1 | 7,580 | 13.3% | $63,430 | $30.50 |
| Plastics Product Manufacturing NAICS 326100 | 3,970 | 7.0% | $61,670 | $29.65 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing NAICS 336400 | 3,190 | 5.6% | $84,840 | $40.79 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (56,930). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $57,000 for tool and die makers in May 2021 and $64,050 in May 2025, with employment of 63,630 and 56,930.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $57,000 | $27.41 | 63,630 |
| May 2022 | $59,800 | $28.75 | 61,730 |
| May 2023 | $61,490 | $29.56 | 58,150 |
| May 2024 | $63,180 | $30.38 | 55,130 |
| May 2025 | $64,050 | $30.79 | 56,930 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
45 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington profile | $52.59 | $109,390 | $58,560 | $116,850 | 1,510 | 0.43 | 1.16 |
| 2 | Kansas profile | $40.33 | $83,890 | $51,350 | $92,670 | 660 | 0.46 | 1.25 |
| 3 | Maine profile | $38.42 | $79,910 | $50,510 | $87,870 | 80 | 0.12 | 0.33 |
| 4 | Connecticut profile | $37.28 | $77,540 | $47,770 | $100,200 | 1,880 | 1.11 | 3.03 |
| 5 | California profile | $37.04 | $77,030 | $45,710 | $104,260 | 1,790 | 0.10 | 0.27 |
| 6 | New Jersey profile | $35.80 | $74,460 | $48,890 | $96,960 | 540 | 0.13 | 0.35 |
| 7 | Oregon profile | $35.54 | $73,930 | $44,780 | $110,590 | 300 | 0.15 | 0.41 |
| 8 | North Dakota profile | $35.16 | $73,130 | $60,330 | $82,270 | 70 | 0.16 | 0.45 |
| 9 | Minnesota profile | $34.15 | $71,020 | $49,510 | $93,230 | 1,150 | 0.39 | 1.06 |
| 10 | New Hampshire profile | $33.61 | $69,910 | $52,000 | $93,480 | 250 | 0.36 | 0.99 |
| 11 | Vermont profile | $33.32 | $69,300 | $50,480 | $106,640 | 140 | 0.45 | 1.22 |
| 12 | Nebraska profile | $33.24 | $69,150 | $49,680 | $83,140 | 360 | 0.36 | 0.97 |
| 13 | Wisconsin profile | $32.75 | $68,120 | $46,940 | $81,670 | 2,450 | 0.83 | 2.27 |
| 14 | New York profile | $32.73 | $68,080 | $48,700 | $94,730 | 1,270 | 0.13 | 0.36 |
| 15 | Indiana profile | $32.72 | $68,050 | $46,810 | $92,940 | 4,090 | 1.28 | 3.49 |
| 16 | Massachusetts profile | $32.32 | $67,230 | $47,200 | $93,810 | 850 | 0.23 | 0.64 |
| 17 | Kentucky profile | $32.00 | $66,570 | $46,570 | $90,150 | 1,900 | 0.95 | 2.59 |
| 18 | Oklahoma profile | $31.67 | $65,870 | $36,110 | $80,730 | 330 | 0.19 | 0.52 |
| 19 | Michigan profile | $31.53 | $65,590 | $46,930 | $92,910 | 9,420 | 2.14 | 5.84 |
| 20 | South Carolina profile | $31.37 | $65,250 | $41,920 | $80,990 | 870 | 0.38 | 1.03 |
| 21 | Iowa profile | $31.25 | $65,000 | $51,540 | $80,170 | 760 | 0.48 | 1.32 |
| 22 | Alabama profile | $31.15 | $64,800 | $45,520 | $80,430 | 690 | 0.33 | 0.89 |
| 23 | Virginia profile | $30.79 | $64,050 | $47,400 | $86,880 | 390 | 0.09 | 0.26 |
| 24 | Florida profile | $30.71 | $63,890 | $45,570 | $79,750 | 440 | 0.04 | 0.12 |
| 25 | Colorado profile | $30.67 | $63,800 | $43,540 | $94,110 | 160 | 0.06 | 0.15 |
| 26 | Rhode Island profile | $30.49 | $63,430 | $43,750 | $83,520 | 260 | 0.53 | 1.43 |
| 27 | Ohio profile | $29.94 | $62,280 | $42,080 | $84,840 | 5,520 | 1.00 | 2.72 |
| 28 | Nevada profile | $29.49 | $61,350 | $46,580 | $81,560 | 220 | 0.14 | 0.39 |
| 29 | Illinois profile | $29.41 | $61,170 | $39,490 | $82,520 | 5,220 | 0.86 | 2.34 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania profile | $29.40 | $61,160 | $46,010 | $78,090 | 3,380 | 0.56 | 1.52 |
| 31 | North Carolina profile | $29.36 | $61,060 | $43,770 | $79,180 | 1,580 | 0.32 | 0.87 |
| 32 | Missouri profile | $29.24 | $60,810 | $39,560 | $94,550 | 1,280 | 0.43 | 1.19 |
| 33 | Tennessee profile | $29.21 | $60,760 | $45,600 | $81,390 | 2,930 | 0.90 | 2.44 |
| 34 | Georgia profile | $28.86 | $60,020 | $44,920 | $78,810 | 850 | 0.18 | 0.48 |
| 35 | South Dakota profile | $28.74 | $59,770 | $43,830 | $69,940 | 60 | 0.13 | 0.36 |
| 36 | Arizona profile | $28.44 | $59,140 | $38,720 | $87,200 | 310 | 0.10 | 0.26 |
| 37 | Maryland profile | $27.94 | $58,110 | $37,110 | $81,120 | 70 | 0.03 | 0.07 |
| 38 | Mississippi profile | $27.87 | $57,980 | $40,090 | $76,540 | 300 | 0.26 | 0.70 |
| 39 | Idaho profile | $27.79 | $57,800 | $38,020 | $78,640 | 50 | 0.05 | 0.15 |
| 40 | Arkansas profile | $27.33 | $56,840 | $30,830 | $76,890 | 290 | 0.22 | 0.61 |
| 41 | Utah profile | $27.28 | $56,740 | $44,950 | $84,120 | 270 | 0.16 | 0.43 |
| 42 | Texas profile | $26.67 | $55,470 | $36,350 | $85,500 | 1,710 | 0.12 | 0.33 |
| 43 | New Mexico profile | $23.06 | $47,960 | $40,260 | $79,040 | 40 | 0.04 | 0.12 |
| 44 | Louisiana profile | $22.57 | $46,950 | $40,200 | $62,240 | 170 | 0.09 | 0.24 |
| 45 | West Virginia profile | $22.21 | $46,190 | $35,410 | $65,840 | 40 | 0.06 | 0.17 |
Part of Production Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 51-4111 Tool and Die Makers.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 51-4111, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 51-4111.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.