Production
Tool & Die Makers
SOC 51-4111
Make the tools, dies, and fixtures that mass production depends on.
The job
Median pay
$64k
$51k to $79k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Declining
-9.2% projected
Openings a year
4k
BLS projection
Typical education
Apprenticeship
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
40th pct
More exposed than 40% of occupations · modeled estimate · 28th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
34/100
Key skills
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Active Learning
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 9,420 | 2.1 | 5.8× | $66k |
| Ohio | 5,520 | 1.0 | 2.7× | $62k |
| Illinois | 5,220 | 0.9 | 2.3× | $61k |
| Indiana | 4,090 | 1.3 | 3.5× | $68k |
| Pennsylvania | 3,380 | 0.6 | 1.5× | $61k |
| Tennessee | 2,930 | 0.9 | 2.4× | $61k |
| Wisconsin | 2,450 | 0.8 | 2.3× | $68k |
| Kentucky | 1,900 | 0.9 | 2.6× | $67k |
| Connecticut | 1,880 | 1.1 | 3.0× | $78k |
| California | 1,790 | 0.1 | 0.3× | $77k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1,710 | 0.1 | 0.3× | $55k |
| North Carolina | 1,580 | 0.3 | 0.9× | $61k |
| Washington | 1,510 | 0.4 | 1.2× | $109k |
| Missouri | 1,280 | 0.4 | 1.2× | $61k |
| New York | 1,270 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $68k |
| Minnesota | 1,150 | 0.4 | 1.1× | $71k |
| South Carolina | 870 | 0.4 | 1.0× | $65k |
| Georgia | 850 | 0.2 | 0.5× | $60k |
| Massachusetts | 850 | 0.2 | 0.6× | $67k |
| Iowa | 760 | 0.5 | 1.3× | $65k |
| Alabama | 690 | 0.3 | 0.9× | $65k |
| Kansas | 660 | 0.5 | 1.3× | $84k |
| New Jersey | 540 | 0.1 | 0.3× | $74k |
| Florida | 440 | 0.0 | 0.1× | $64k |
| Virginia | 390 | 0.1 | 0.3× | $64k |
| Nebraska | 360 | 0.4 | 1.0× | $69k |
| Oklahoma | 330 | 0.2 | 0.5× | $66k |
| Arizona | 310 | 0.1 | 0.3× | $59k |
| Mississippi | 300 | 0.3 | 0.7× | $58k |
| Oregon | 300 | 0.2 | 0.4× | $74k |
| Arkansas | 290 | 0.2 | 0.6× | $57k |
| Utah | 270 | 0.2 | 0.4× | $57k |
| Rhode Island | 260 | 0.5 | 1.4× | $63k |
| New Hampshire | 250 | 0.4 | 1.0× | $70k |
| Nevada | 220 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $61k |
| Louisiana | 170 | 0.1 | 0.2× | $47k |
| Colorado | 160 | 0.1 | 0.1× | $64k |
| Vermont | 140 | 0.5 | 1.3× | $69k |
| Delaware | 126 | 0.3 | 0.7× | $54k~ |
| Montana | 117 | 0.2 | 0.6× | $66k~ |
| Hawaii | 91 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $66k~ |
| Wyoming | 88 | 0.3 | 0.9× | $81k~ |
| Maine | 80 | 0.1 | 0.3× | $80k |
| Maryland | 70 | 0.0 | 0.1× | $58k |
| North Dakota | 70 | 0.2 | 0.5× | $73k |
| Alaska | 62 | 0.2 | 0.5× | $75k~ |
| South Dakota | 60 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $60k |
| Idaho | 50 | 0.1 | 0.2× | $58k |
| New Mexico | 40 | 0.0 | 0.1× | $48k |
| West Virginia | 40 | 0.1 | 0.2× | $46k |
| Washington DC | 33 | 0.0 | 0.1× | $81k~ |
Top metro areas
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI4,900 jobs · $73k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN3,750 jobs · $61k median
- Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI1,540 jobs · $65k median
- Cleveland, OH1,280 jobs · $64k median
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA1,090 jobs · $117k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA950 jobs · $78k median
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI930 jobs · $75k median
- Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI830 jobs · $68k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Tool & Die Makers 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.