Production
CNC Tool Operators
SOC 51-9161
Run computer-controlled machines that cut precise parts.
The job
Median pay
$51k
$45k to $62k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Declining
-9.4% projected
Openings a year
13k
BLS projection
Typical education
High school
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
11/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
30th pct
More exposed than 30% of occupations · modeled estimate · 70th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
33/100
Key skills
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 21,680 | 1.2 | 1.1× | $57k |
| Ohio | 21,250 | 3.8 | 3.5× | $49k |
| Texas | 13,190 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $48k |
| Indiana | 9,690 | 3.0 | 2.8× | $49k |
| Wisconsin | 8,330 | 2.8 | 2.6× | $53k |
| Illinois | 8,170 | 1.3 | 1.2× | $48k |
| Pennsylvania | 7,840 | 1.3 | 1.2× | $55k |
| Michigan | 7,330 | 1.7 | 1.5× | $47k |
| New York | 5,530 | 0.6 | 0.5× | $53k |
| Iowa | 4,750 | 3.0 | 2.8× | $52k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 4,290 | 1.5 | 1.3× | $57k |
| Florida | 4,040 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $46k |
| North Carolina | 3,680 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $50k |
| Alabama | 3,120 | 1.5 | 1.4× | $52k |
| Oregon | 2,920 | 1.5 | 1.4× | $57k |
| Connecticut | 2,740 | 1.6 | 1.5× | $60k |
| Kansas | 2,540 | 1.8 | 1.6× | $48k |
| Massachusetts | 2,500 | 0.7 | 0.6× | $62k |
| South Carolina | 2,460 | 1.1 | 1.0× | $52k |
| Washington | 2,270 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $108k |
| Georgia | 2,200 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $48k |
| Arkansas | 2,180 | 1.7 | 1.5× | $50k |
| Tennessee | 1,980 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $50k |
| Virginia | 1,890 | 0.5 | 0.4× | $50k |
| Arizona | 1,800 | 0.6 | 0.5× | $49k |
| Maryland | 1,800 | 0.7 | 0.6× | $47k |
| New Hampshire | 1,770 | 2.6 | 2.4× | $60k |
| New Jersey | 1,770 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $54k |
| Kentucky | 1,740 | 0.9 | 0.8× | $49k |
| Colorado | 1,580 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $55k |
| Missouri | 1,500 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $51k |
| Oklahoma | 1,490 | 0.9 | 0.8× | $48k |
| South Dakota | 1,420 | 3.1 | 2.9× | $51k |
| Mississippi | 1,290 | 1.1 | 1.0× | $40k |
| Vermont | 1,190 | 3.9 | 3.6× | $58k |
| Utah | 1,170 | 0.7 | 0.6× | $45k |
| Nebraska | 830 | 0.8 | 0.7× | $49k |
| Louisiana | 670 | 0.3 | 0.3× | $50k |
| Rhode Island | 540 | 1.1 | 1.0× | $57k |
| Idaho | 480 | 0.6 | 0.5× | $53k |
| Maine | 440 | 0.7 | 0.6× | $60k |
| Nevada | 400 | 0.3 | 0.2× | $47k |
| Hawaii | 270 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $53k~ |
| North Dakota | 250 | 0.6 | 0.5× | $60k |
| Montana | 240 | 0.5 | 0.4× | $52k |
| Alaska | 183 | 0.6 | 0.5× | $59k~ |
| Delaware | 170 | 0.4 | 0.3× | $50k |
| West Virginia | 160 | 0.2 | 0.2× | $50k |
| Washington DC | 99 | 0.1 | 0.1× | $64k~ |
| New Mexico | 70 | 0.1 | 0.1× | $45k |
| Wyoming | 60 | 0.2 | 0.2× | $54k |
Top metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA10,450 jobs · $55k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN5,480 jobs · $49k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX5,200 jobs · $50k median
- Cleveland, OH4,770 jobs · $49k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX3,150 jobs · $48k median
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI3,010 jobs · $58k median
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN2,970 jobs · $55k median
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI2,900 jobs · $47k median
Explore the rankings
Explore CNC Tool Operators interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.