Machinist vs lead machinist

The differences between machinists and lead 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 machinist and a lead machinist. Additionally, a lead machinist has an average salary of $51,691, which is higher than the $42,147 average annual salary of a machinist.

The top three skills for a machinist include grinders, cnc machines and micrometers. The most important skills for a lead machinist are cnc lathes, grinders, and calipers.

Machinist vs lead machinist overview

	Machinist	Lead Machinist
Yearly salary	$42,147	$51,691
Hourly rate	$20.26	$24.85
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	15,448	10,892
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Machinist vs lead machinist salary

Machinists and lead machinists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Machinist	Lead Machinist
Average salary	$42,147	$51,691
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $59,000	Between $39,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Eugene, OR	-
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	-
Best paying company	Westinghouse Appliances Australia	-
Best paying industry	Automotive	-

Differences between machinist and lead machinist education

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

	Machinist	Lead Machinist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Machinist vs lead machinist demographics

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

	Machinist	Lead Machinist
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4%	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 6.7% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between machinist and lead machinist duties and responsibilities

Machinist example responsibilities.

Manage output according to company quality standards and corresponding ISO certification.
Measure parts using micrometers, calipers, bore gauges, depth gauges, height gauges and CMM programs.
Utilize CNC lathes, mills, grinders, EDM s and other equipment to manufacture implants and/or instruments.
Operate manual machines such as engine lathe, boring mill, vertical and horizontal milling machines, grinders and honing machines.
Emphasize the ability to use dial calipers and micrometers to provide consistent repeatable measurements.
Operate manual/CNC lathes and used industry standard measuring equipment including manual/digital calipers, manual/digital micrometers and optical comparators

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.

Machinist vs lead machinist skills

Common machinist skills

Grinders, 9%
CNC Machines, 9%
Micrometers, 8%
Calipers, 8%
Machine Shop, 6%
CNC Lathes, 6%

Common lead machinist skills

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