Tool technician vs journeyman machinist

The differences between tool technicians and journeyman machinists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a tool technician, becoming a journeyman machinist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a journeyman machinist has an average salary of $50,598, which is higher than the $42,908 average annual salary of a tool technician.

The top three skills for a tool technician include grinders, hand tools and CNC. The most important skills for a journeyman machinist are manual lathes, grinders, and hand tools.

Tool technician vs journeyman machinist overview

	Tool Technician	Journeyman Machinist
Yearly salary	$42,908	$50,598
Hourly rate	$20.63	$24.33
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	78,258	13,800
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Associate Degree, 36%
Average age	54	48
Years of experience	6	4

Tool technician vs journeyman machinist salary

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

	Tool Technician	Journeyman Machinist
Average salary	$42,908	$50,598
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $61,000	Between $37,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	Fort Wayne, IN	-
Highest paying state	Indiana	-
Best paying company	Rivian	-
Best paying industry	Energy	-

Differences between tool technician and journeyman machinist education

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

	Tool Technician	Journeyman Machinist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Associate Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Tool technician vs journeyman machinist demographics

Here are the differences between tool technicians' and journeyman machinists' demographics:

	Tool Technician	Journeyman Machinist
Average age	54	48
Gender ratio	Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0%	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.4% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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 tool technician and journeyman machinist duties and responsibilities

Tool technician example responsibilities.

Use specialize tools and machinery (CNC milling machine, manual lathe, manual milling machine and surface grinders . )
Program and operate wire EDM machine, milling machines, drill presses, surface grinders, lathes and jig grinders.
Perform mig, tig, and stick welds.
Skil welder utilizing TIG, MIG and stick welding processes.
Work on and troubleshoot the press machinery using calipers, micrometers and other precision tools.
Learned to use a TIG welder . )

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.

Tool technician vs journeyman machinist skills

Common tool technician skills

Grinders, 11%
Hand Tools, 10%
CNC, 9%
Calipers, 7%
Micrometers, 6%
Jigs, 6%

Common journeyman machinist skills

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