---
title: "Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmer"
description: "Develop programs to control machining or processing of materials by automatic machine tools, equipment, or systems. May also set up, operate, or maintain…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/computer-numerically-controlled-tool-programmer"
last-updated: "2026-10-09T10:57:55.138Z"
---

# Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmer

**Category:** Production · **SOC code:** 51-9162 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 51-9162.00

Develop programs to control machining or processing of materials by automatic machine tools, equipment, or systems. May also set up, operate, or maintain equipment.

Also advertised as: CAD Programmer (Computer-Aided Design Programmer); CAM Programmer (Computer-Aided Manufacturing Programmer); CNC Machine Operator (Computer Numerical Control Machine Operator); CNC Machinist (Computer Numerical Control Machinist); CNC Operator (Computer Numerical Control Operator); CNC Programmer (Computer Numerical Control Programmer); CNC Tech (Computer Numerical Control Technician); CNC Tool Programmer (Computer Numerical Control Tool Programmer).

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $68,120 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $32.75/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $47,530 to $100,320, with the middle half between $58,270 and $81,890
- **Total US employment:** 28,500
- **Typical entry education:** Certificate
- **Preparation required:** Little or no preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** +5.9% over 2025–2035 (BLS EP, 2025–2035)
- **Annual job openings:** 2,700 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 42/100 — 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 28,500 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $47,530 |
| 25th | $58,270 |
| 50th (median) | $68,120 |
| 75th | $81,890 |
| 90th | $100,320 |
| Mean (average) | $72,210 |

### 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CT | $86,390 | $83,380 | 500 |
| CA | $82,090 | $74,142 | 2,990 |
| MA | $81,670 | $77,224 | 680 |
| WA | $81,420 | $76,084 | 660 |
| MO | $78,130 | $86,030 | 430 |
| VT | $77,980 | $79,606 | 140 |
| KS | $76,080 | $84,470 | 680 |
| ND | $75,990 | $85,421 | 40 |
| OR | $75,150 | $72,706 | 500 |
| AZ | $74,450 | $73,949 | 470 |
| VA | $74,390 | $73,578 | 330 |
| MN | $74,190 | $75,227 | 1,250 |
| ME | $72,920 | $75,137 | 50 |
| NH | $71,680 | $68,814 | 290 |
| MT | $70,860 | $74,869 | 60 |

28 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 43 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/computer-numerically-controlled-tool-programmer/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/computer-numerically-controlled-tool-programmer.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 28,600 in the 2025–2035 base year to 30,300 by the end of the cycle — a gain of 1,700 jobs, or +5.9%. Faster than average: 5.9% against 3.5% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 2,700 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** Postsecondary nondegree award (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 or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 32.8% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 31.4% |
| Some College Courses | 19.7% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 14.3% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 1.9% |

## What the work involves

- Observe machines on trial runs or conduct computer simulations to ensure that programs and machinery will function properly and produce items that meet specifications.
- Modify existing programs to enhance efficiency.
- Analyze job orders, drawings, blueprints, specifications, printed circuit board pattern films, and design data to calculate dimensions, tool selection, machine speeds, and feed rates.
- Revise programs or tapes to eliminate errors, and retest programs to check that problems have been solved.
- Enter computer commands to store or retrieve parts patterns, graphic displays, or programs that transfer data to other media.
- Determine the sequence of machine operations, and select the proper cutting tools needed to machine workpieces into the desired shapes.
- Prepare geometric layouts from graphic displays, using computer-assisted drafting software or drafting instruments and graph paper.
- Write programs in the language of a machine's controller and store programs on media, such as punch tapes, magnetic tapes, or disks.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Monitoring — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mathematics — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Reading Comprehension — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Listening — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Critical Thinking — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 2.9 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.

- Programming — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Complex Problem Solving — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Operations Monitoring — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Systems Analysis — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Operation and Control — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Troubleshooting — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Quality Control Analysis — 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

- Production and Processing — importance 4.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Engineering and Technology — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mathematics — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Design — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Computers and Electronics — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Near Vision — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Problem Sensitivity — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Information Ordering — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Perceptual Speed — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mathematical Reasoning — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Category Flexibility — importance 3.1 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 Conventional (C), Realistic (R), Investigative (I).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| C — Conventional | 5.92 |
| R — Realistic | 4.88 |
| I — Investigative | 3.62 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.68 |
| A — Artistic | 1.53 |
| S — Social | 1.45 |

### 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 | 95.0 |
| ISFJ | 78.5 |
| ESTJ | 76.3 |
| ISTP | 75.0 |
| INTJ | 72.9 |

Best-fitting types: ISTJ. The bank also flags this occupation as introvert-friendly, meaning O\*NET work-context ratings put it low on public contact and performing for the public.

## Related occupations

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

- [Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/computer-numerically-controlled-tool-operator) — median $50,690
- [Machinist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/machinist) — median $58,750
- [Robotics Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/robotics-technician) — median $73,900
- [Model Maker, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/model-maker-metal-and-plastic) — median $63,340
- [Electromechanical Equipment Assembler](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electromechanical-equipment-assembler) — median $45,930
- [Mechanical Drafter](https://nuecareer.com/careers/mechanical-drafter) — median $71,550
- [Mechanical Engineering Technologist and Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/mechanical-engineering-technologist-and-technician) — median $74,510
- [Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologist and Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electrical-and-electronic-engineering-technologist-and-technician) — median $78,190
- [Calibration Technologist and Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/calibration-technologist-and-technician) — median $67,820
- [Patternmaker, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/patternmaker-metal-and-plastic) — median $58,000

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 31.0 Database, August 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, 2025–2035. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BLS OOH** — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 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 31.0 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-programmer