Lead machinist vs journeyman machinist

The differences between lead machinists and journeyman machinists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a lead machinist and a journeyman machinist. Additionally, a lead machinist has an average salary of $51,691, which is higher than the $50,598 average annual salary of a journeyman machinist.

The top three skills for a lead machinist include cnc lathes, grinders and calipers. The most important skills for a journeyman machinist are manual lathes, grinders, and hand tools.

Lead machinist vs journeyman machinist overview

	Lead Machinist	Journeyman Machinist
Yearly salary	$51,691	$50,598
Hourly rate	$24.85	$24.33
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	10,892	13,800
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	Associate Degree, 36%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Lead machinist vs journeyman machinist salary

Lead machinists and journeyman machinists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lead Machinist	Journeyman Machinist
Average salary	$51,691	$50,598
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $68,000	Between $37,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between lead machinist and journeyman machinist education

There are a few differences between a lead machinist and a journeyman machinist in terms of educational background:

	Lead Machinist	Journeyman Machinist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	Associate Degree, 36%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Lead machinist vs journeyman machinist demographics

Here are the differences between lead machinists' and journeyman machinists' demographics:

	Lead Machinist	Journeyman Machinist
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.5% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between lead machinist and journeyman machinist duties and responsibilities

Lead machinist example responsibilities.

Manage and perform programming of CNC mills, lathes and EDM equipment, instrumentation, data acquisition and control systems.
Experience with cutting different materials (aluminum, titanium, inconel, mild and stainless steels).
Program, edit, and setup of CNC lathe with Fanuc control.
Work machines such as; Haas CNC vertical and horizontal mills and lathes.
Perform gluing, soldering, brazing and gas, arc, welding operations.
Lead setup/ supervisor for a cell of two Haas lathes and two Haas mills.

Journeyman machinist example responsibilities.

Manage output according to company quality standards and corresponding ISO certification.
Use CMM for 1st article inspection.
Inspect parts off cmm and adjust offsets accordingly.
Experience using micrometers, calipers, indicators, and other precision measuring tools.
Used micrometers, calipers, probing systems to verify precise measurements and make accurate cuts.
Plan, design, engineer, fabricate new tools, jigs, fixtures and hot form bending dies.

Lead machinist vs journeyman machinist skills

Common lead machinist skills

CNC Lathes, 9%
Grinders, 8%
Calipers, 8%
Machine Tools, 6%
Aluminum, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%

Common journeyman machinist skills

Manual Lathes, 12%
Grinders, 9%
Hand Tools, 7%
CNC Vertical, 7%
Calipers, 5%
Machine Shop Equipment, 4%