---
title: "Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator"
description: "Operate computer-controlled tools, machines, or robots to machine or process parts, tools, or other work pieces made of metal, plastic, wood, stone, or…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/computer-numerically-controlled-tool-operator"
last-updated: "2026-08-23T15:56:39.581Z"
---

# Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator

**Category:** Production · **SOC code:** 51-9161 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 51-9161.00

Operate computer-controlled tools, machines, or robots to machine or process parts, tools, or other work pieces made of metal, plastic, wood, stone, or other materials. May also set up and maintain equipment.

Also advertised as: CNC Gear Operator (Computer Numerical Control Gear Operator); CNC Lathe Operator (Computer Numerical Control Lathe Operator); CNC Machine Operator (Computer Numerical Control Machine Operator); CNC Machinist (Computer Numerical Control Machinist); CNC Mill Operator (Computer Numerical Control Mill Operator); CNC Operator (Computer Numerical Control Operator); CNC Set Up Operator (Computer Numerical Control Set Up Operator); Machine Operator.

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $50,690 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $24.37/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $38,140 to $73,890, with the middle half between $44,930 and $61,760
- **Total US employment:** 169,450
- **Typical entry education:** High school
- **Preparation required:** Little or no preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** -10.7% over 2024–2034 (BLS EP, 2024–2034)
- **Annual job openings:** 13,500 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 46/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 169,450 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $38,140 |
| 25th | $44,930 |
| 50th (median) | $50,690 |
| 75th | $61,760 |
| 90th | $73,890 |
| Mean (average) | $54,320 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WA | $107,920 | $100,848 | 2,270 |
| MA | $61,630 | $58,275 | 2,500 |
| ND | $60,250 | $67,728 | 250 |
| CT | $59,840 | $57,755 | 2,740 |
| NH | $59,730 | $57,342 | 1,770 |
| ME | $59,660 | $61,473 | 440 |
| VT | $57,500 | $58,699 | 1,190 |
| RI | $57,390 | $56,111 | 540 |
| MN | $56,780 | $57,574 | 4,290 |
| OR | $56,670 | $54,827 | 2,920 |
| CA | $56,510 | $51,039 | 21,680 |
| CO | $55,270 | $53,633 | 1,580 |
| PA | $54,590 | $55,948 | 7,840 |
| WY | $54,170 | $58,441 | 60 |
| NJ | $54,100 | $49,722 | 1,770 |

33 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 48 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/computer-numerically-controlled-tool-operator/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/computer-numerically-controlled-tool-operator.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 177,100 in the 2024–2034 base year to 158,100 by the end of the cycle — a loss of 19,000 jobs, or -10.7%. Declining: -10.7% against 3.1% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 13,500 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2024–2034.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** High school diploma or equivalent (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Little or no preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** Moderate-term on-the-job training.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| High School Diploma | 48.2% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 21.2% |
| Some College Courses | 16.8% |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 7.1% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 3.5% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 3.2% |

## What the work involves

- Set up and operate computer-controlled machines or robots to perform one or more machine functions on metal or plastic workpieces.
- Measure dimensions of finished workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments, templates, and fixtures.
- Stop machines to remove finished workpieces or to change tooling, setup, or workpiece placement, according to required machining sequences.
- Listen to machines during operation to detect sounds such as those made by dull cutting tools or excessive vibration, and adjust machines to compensate for problems.
- Mount, install, align, and secure tools, attachments, fixtures, and workpieces on machines, using hand tools and precision measuring instruments.
- Confer with supervisors or programmers to resolve machine malfunctions or production errors or to obtain approval to continue production.
- Clean machines, tooling, or parts, using solvents or solutions and rags.
- Maintain machines and remove and replace broken or worn machine tools, using hand tools.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Critical Thinking — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Listening — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Reading Comprehension — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mathematics — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 2.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Operations Monitoring — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Operation and Control — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Quality Control Analysis — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Complex Problem Solving — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Troubleshooting — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Equipment Maintenance — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Repairing — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Mathematics — importance 4.2 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Production and Processing — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mechanical — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Engineering and Technology — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Education and Training — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Arm-Hand Steadiness — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Near Vision — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Problem Sensitivity — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Information Ordering — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Control Precision — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Reaction Time — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Realistic (R), Conventional (C).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| R — Realistic | 6.44 |
| C — Conventional | 5.39 |
| I — Investigative | 2.88 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.37 |
| A — Artistic | 1.19 |
| S — Social | 1.00 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISTJ | 93.4 |
| ISTP | 77.6 |
| ISFJ | 76.7 |
| ESTJ | 75.4 |
| INTJ | 69.8 |

Best-fitting types: ISTJ.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Milling and Planing Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/milling-and-planing-machine-setter-operator-and-tender-metal-and-plastic) — median $52,800
- [Machinist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/machinist) — median $58,750
- [Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/lathe-and-turning-machine-tool-setter-operator-and-tender-metal-and-plastic) — median $50,620
- [Multiple Machine Tool Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/multiple-machine-tool-setter-operator-and-tender-metal-and-plastic) — median $47,180
- [Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/computer-numerically-controlled-tool-programmer) — median $68,120
- [Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/grinding-lapping-polishing-and-buffing-machine-tool-setter-operator-and-tender-metal-and-plastic) — median $46,550
- [Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/drilling-and-boring-machine-tool-setter-operator-and-tender-metal-and-plastic) — median $49,080
- [Tool Grinder, Filer, and Sharpener](https://nuecareer.com/careers/tool-grinder-filer-and-sharpener) — median $50,060
- [Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/welding-soldering-and-brazing-machine-setter-operator-and-tender) — median $47,920
- [Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Except Sawing](https://nuecareer.com/careers/woodworking-machine-setter-operator-and-tender) — median $43,380

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 30.3 Database, May 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2024–2034. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BLS OOH** — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/computer-numerically-controlled-tool-operator