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Job outlook for milling machine operators in the United States
Milling machine operator job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected milling machine operator job growth rate is -8% from 2018-2028.
About -83,800 new jobs for milling machine operators are projected over the next decade.
Milling machine operator salaries have increased 11% for milling machine operators in the last 5 years.
There are over 519,660 milling machine operators currently employed in the United States.
There are 68,170 active milling machine operator job openings in the US.
The average milling machine operator salary is $34,094.
Are milling machine operator jobs in demand?
Milling machine operator job and salary trends over time
Milling machine operator jobs over time
Milling machine operator job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 519,660 | 0.15% |
| 2020 | 292,525 | 0.09% |
| 2019 | 568,694 | 0.17% |
| 2018 | 306,854 | 0.09% |
| 2017 | 304,719 | 0.09% |
Average milling machine operator salary over time
Milling machine operator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $34,094 | $16.39 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $32,974 | $15.85 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $32,522 | $15.64 | +2.1% |
| 2022 | $31,840 | $15.31 | +3.6% |
| 2021 | $30,745 | $14.78 | +2.3% |
Milling machine operator jobs by state
Most common states for milling machine operators
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,128 | 16% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 110 | 16% |
| 3 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 863 | 14% |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 146 | 14% |
| 5 | Alaska | 739,795 | 105 | 14% |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 168 | 13% |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 590 | 10% |
| 8 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 801 | 9% |
| 9 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 401 | 7% |
| 10 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 372 | 6% |
| 11 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 189 | 6% |
| 12 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 84 | 6% |
| 13 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 637 | 5% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 162 | 5% |
| 15 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 96 | 5% |
| 16 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 46 | 5% |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 527 | 4% |
| 18 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 162 | 4% |
| 19 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 109 | 4% |
| 20 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 48 | 4% |
Most common cities for milling machine operators
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manitowoc | 2 | 6% | $34,866 |
| 2 | Garden City | 1 | 4% | $35,155 |
| 3 | Meriden | 2 | 3% | $39,048 |
| 4 | Agawam Town | 1 | 3% | $38,998 |
| 5 | Grove City | 1 | 3% | $32,904 |
| 6 | Hillsboro | 2 | 2% | $39,420 |
| 7 | Downers Grove | 1 | 2% | $33,184 |
| 8 | Wichita | 2 | 1% | $32,899 |
Milling Machine Operator job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of milling machine operator experts
Precision Machined Products Association
What type of skills will young Milling Machine Operators need?
Miles Free: Skills are essential, but most of our precision machining shops hire for attitude. We will help reliable candidates develop the skills that they need. If we look at employers having wants and needs: want - someone that knows their software. Needs - someone that knows how to adjust code; we'll teach them our software. Wants - excellent math skills. Requires the ability to do high school algebra, geometry, and trig.
Needs - people that can communicate an issue verbally and in writing.
That's where we see it. Critical thinking, ability to understand problems and their potential causes, ability to work well with others, without this, even a super-competent technically skilled person will probably find themselves changing jobs many times.
How do you envision technology impacting Milling Machine Operators in the next 5 years?
Miles Free: Technology is going to create higher-value jobs than it is feared it will destroy. There is a shortage of talent. As our shops install more technology (automation) to make up for this, it will require higher-skilled people to program and maintain the new technology and train new people coming into the field. I see a healthy job outlook for machining skills, welding skills, mechatronics, robotics, and systems integration in manufacturing for a very long time. So the current talent will be upskilling to keep up with the new technology's needs. We are looking for a general opinion on entering the workforce!