Tool room machinist vs machinist apprentice

The differences between tool room machinists and machinist apprentices can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a tool room machinist and a machinist apprentice. Additionally, a tool room machinist has an average salary of $45,143, which is higher than the $37,681 average annual salary of a machinist apprentice.

The top three skills for a tool room machinist include jigs, grinders and hand tools. The most important skills for a machinist apprentice are cnc lathes, grinders, and hand tools.

Tool room machinist vs machinist apprentice overview

	Tool Room Machinist	Machinist Apprentice
Yearly salary	$45,143	$37,681
Hourly rate	$21.70	$18.12
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	41,699	21,288
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Tool room machinist vs machinist apprentice salary

Tool room machinists and machinist apprentices have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tool Room Machinist	Machinist Apprentice
Average salary	$45,143	$37,681
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $61,000	Between $30,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between tool room machinist and machinist apprentice education

There are a few differences between a tool room machinist and a machinist apprentice in terms of educational background:

	Tool Room Machinist	Machinist Apprentice
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Tool room machinist vs machinist apprentice demographics

Here are the differences between tool room machinists' and machinist apprentices' demographics:

	Tool Room Machinist	Machinist Apprentice
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 97.9% Female, 2.1%	Male, 94.9% Female, 5.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 7.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 71.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between tool room machinist and machinist apprentice duties and responsibilities

Tool room machinist example responsibilities.

Fabricate gauges, jigs, fixtures, extrusion dies, and various types of cut die components.
Design and construct drill jigs, bending fixtures, welding jigs and components for a wide variety of government contracts
Work closely with customers to determine job requirements, troubleshoot equipment problems and answer customer questions.
Operate / set up manual bridgeports.

Machinist apprentice example responsibilities.

Design and construct intricate EDM electrodes.
Set up and operate Mazak machining centers.
Work with manual lathe, mill and EDM to repair parts for production.
Set up and operate CNC and manual machining equipment for high precision aerospace components.
Develop various forms and procedures to assure the machine shop are operating effectively and maintaining ISO certification.
Use blueprints to create molds using stick and tig welders.

Tool room machinist vs machinist apprentice skills

Common tool room machinist skills

Jigs, 12%
Grinders, 11%
Hand Tools, 10%
Calipers, 9%
Micrometers, 8%
Machine Tools, 7%

Common machinist apprentice skills

CNC Lathes, 23%
Grinders, 10%
Hand Tools, 7%
Calipers, 7%
Math, 5%
Drill Press, 4%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Tool Room Machinist
Tool Room Machinist vs Machinist Apprentice

Updated January 8, 2025

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