Tool and Die Makers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$64,050
United States, 2025
Employment
56,930
United States, 2025
Typical education
Post-Secondary Certificate
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.
- O*NET code
- 51-4111.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years
Typical tasks
- Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators.
- Set up and operate conventional or computer numerically controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders to cut, bore, grind, or otherwise shape parts to prescribed dimensions and finishes.
- Visualize and compute dimensions, sizes, shapes, and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications.
- Study blueprints, sketches, models, or specifications to plan sequences of operations for fabricating tools, dies, or assemblies.
- Fit and assemble parts to make, repair, or modify dies, jigs, gauges, and tools, using machine tools, hand tools, or welders.
- Inspect finished dies for smoothness, contour conformity, and defects.
- Select metals to be used from a range of metals and alloys, based on properties such as hardness or heat tolerance.
- Lift, position, and secure machined parts on surface plates or worktables, using hoists, vises, v-blocks, or angle plates.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$44,680
25th percentile
$51,490
75th percentile
$78,770
90th percentile
$92,680
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring3.3
- Quality Control Analysis3.3
- Operation and Control3.3
- Time Management3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Equipment Selection3.1
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Active Learning3.0
- Troubleshooting3.0
- Equipment Maintenance3.0
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 13 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
13
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.3 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Operation and Control | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.3 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Equipment Selection | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Tool and Die MakersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | $116,850 | 1,090 | 2025 |
| WA | $109,390 | 1,510 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $97,560 | 130 | 2025 |
| Albany, NY | $87,240 | 60 | 2025 |
| Kansas City, MO | $85,740 | 450 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $85,010 | 100 | 2025 |
| Lima, OH | $84,730 | 70 | 2025 |
| KS | $83,890 | 660 | 2025 |
| Wichita, KS | $83,890 | 440 | 2025 |
| Lexington, KY | $83,510 | 290 | 2025 |
| Stockton, CA | $82,820 | 40 | 2025 |
| Buffalo, NY | $81,510 | 250 | 2025 |
| Lafayette, IN | $80,060 | 80 | 2025 |
| Lincoln, NE | $80,030 | 130 | 2025 |
| Portland, ME | $79,910 | 40 | 2025 |
| ME | $79,910 | 80 | 2025 |
| Ogden, UT | $79,480 | 60 | 2025 |
| Norwich, CT | $79,020 | 60 | 2025 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $78,960 | 170 | 2025 |
| Burlington, NC | $78,140 | 40 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Tool and Die Makers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.