Modern millers still need manual expertise - especially when working on prototypes or manufacturing small processes of machined parts - despite the ever-growing dependence of the current frying machines on electronic technologies, which allow them to achieve higher machining accuracy.
Mill Operators typically start their working careers with an apprenticeship, after which they become able to perform high-quality machining work without supervision as per the required technical specifications and production standards. The profession also requires you to combine manual skills with modern production technologies.
Jobs for milling machines generally require a high school credential - entirely geared to technological and mechanical expertise. If you're an aspiring mill operator, you can also enroll in a professional training course for "milling machine operators." As a Mill Operator, you can make a decent amount of money, which translates to an average salary of $33,918 per year.
What is a Mill Operator?
What Does a Mill Operator Do
There are certain skills that many mill operators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, coordination and visual ability.
How To Become a Mill Operator
If you're interested in becoming a mill operator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 13.8% of mill operators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 0.6% of mill operators have master's degrees. Even though some mill operators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Mill Operator Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a mill operator can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as forklift operator, progress to a title such as technician and then eventually end up with the title operations manager.
Average Salary for a Mill Operator
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Mill Operator Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active mill operator jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where mill operators earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Mill Operator Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,489 | $44,963 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 1,217 | $40,540 |
| 3 | Ohio | 1,061 | $40,062 |
| 4 | Texas | 1,051 | $37,458 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 1,039 | $40,682 |
| 6 | Georgia | 971 | $37,872 |
| 7 | Illinois | 930 | $39,345 |
| 8 | New Jersey | 889 | $42,420 |
| 9 | Indiana | 786 | $40,526 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 741 | $41,176 |
| 11 | Florida | 709 | $38,260 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | 700 | $40,403 |
| 13 | Minnesota | 682 | $40,341 |
| 14 | Tennessee | 641 | $38,048 |
| 15 | New York | 549 | $42,246 |
| 16 | Michigan | 452 | $39,180 |
| 17 | Missouri | 409 | $38,152 |
| 18 | Virginia | 357 | $41,075 |
| 19 | Iowa | 350 | $38,895 |
| 20 | South Carolina | 336 | $34,958 |
| 21 | Kentucky | 326 | $37,340 |
| 22 | Washington | 275 | $41,315 |
| 23 | Arizona | 256 | $41,846 |
| 24 | Utah | 240 | $44,301 |
| 25 | Alabama | 232 | $38,314 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | 216 | $35,814 |
| 27 | Maryland | 205 | $42,020 |
| 28 | Oregon | 186 | $41,610 |
| 29 | Connecticut | 186 | $38,351 |
| 30 | Kansas | 185 | $39,899 |
| 31 | Colorado | 177 | $44,936 |
| 32 | Mississippi | 168 | $36,585 |
| 33 | Nebraska | 160 | $41,700 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | 153 | $42,585 |
| 35 | Arkansas | 138 | $37,302 |
| 36 | Louisiana | 109 | $40,280 |
| 37 | Nevada | 107 | $42,723 |
| 38 | Hawaii | 104 | $47,015 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | 102 | $41,399 |
| 40 | Alaska | 95 | $47,336 |
| 41 | Maine | 93 | $39,725 |
| 42 | Idaho | 69 | $36,074 |
| 43 | Delaware | 48 | $41,299 |
| 44 | South Dakota | 47 | $41,564 |
| 45 | West Virginia | 46 | $37,573 |
| 46 | Vermont | 46 | $35,156 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 42 | $42,297 |
| 48 | New Mexico | 24 | $40,600 |
| 49 | Montana | 23 | $38,286 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 10 | $43,381 |
Top Skills For a Mill Operator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 7.1% of mill operators listed cnc on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and coordination are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Mill Operator Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Mill Operator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Mill Operator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Mill Operator Demographics
Mill Operator Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among mill operators, 7.5% of them are women, while 92.5% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among mill operators is White, which makes up 67.6% of all mill operators.
- The most common foreign language among mill operators is Spanish at 81.3%.
Online Courses For Mill Operator That You May Like
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Best States For a Mill Operator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a mill operator. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, Hawaii, California, and Colorado. Mill operators make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $47,336. Whereas in Hawaii and California, they would average $47,015 and $44,963, respectively. While mill operators would only make an average of $44,936 in Colorado, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Alaska
$47,336
Avg. Salary
2. Utah
$44,301
Avg. Salary
3. Rhode Island
$42,585
Avg. Salary
How Do Mill Operator Rate Their Jobs?
Top Mill Operator Employers
Most Common Employers For Mill Operator
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freeport-McMoRan | $51,538 | $24.78 | 33 |
| 2 | ADM | $45,478 | $21.86 | 24 |
| 3 | Newmont | $44,350 | $21.32 | 18 |
| 4 | Cargill | $42,101 | $20.24 | 20 |
| 5 | Alcoa | $41,395 | $19.90 | 14 |
| 6 | Metal Sales | $40,947 | $19.69 | 15 |
| 7 | Georgia-Pacific | $40,543 | $19.49 | 13 |
| 8 | Bull Moose Tube | $39,713 | $19.09 | 9 |
| 9 | Aerotek | $39,504 | $18.99 | 22 |
| 10 | Caliper Family of Companies | $38,376 | $18.45 | 11 |
Mill Operator Videos
