Career profile · 51-9161
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators
Operate computer-controlled tools, machines, or robots to machine or process parts, tools, or other work pieces made of metal, plastic, wood, stone, or other materials. May also set up and maintain equipment.
What the work can involve
- Measure dimensions of finished workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments, templates, and fixtures.
- Set up and operate computer-controlled machines or robots to perform one or more machine functions on metal or plastic workpieces.
- Mount, install, align, and secure tools, attachments, fixtures, and workpieces on machines, using hand tools and precision measuring instruments.
- Review program specifications or blueprints to determine and set machine operations and sequencing, finished workpiece dimensions, or numerical control sequences.
- Stop machines to remove finished workpieces or to change tooling, setup, or workpiece placement, according to required machining sequences.
- Listen to machines during operation to detect sounds such as those made by dull cutting tools or excessive vibration, and adjust machines to compensate for problems.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves some prior preparation and on-the-job learning. Check the specific employer, occupational credential and state requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Mathematics
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Engineering and Technology
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Controlling Machines and Processes
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 51.0%08/2023 · sample 32 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 53.0%08/2023 · sample 32 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 92.9%08/2023 · sample 32 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 55.8%08/2023 · sample 32 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Never | 56.5%08/2023 · sample 32 |
| Spend Time Standing | Continually or almost continually | 76.6%08/2023 · sample 32 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 64.5%08/2023 · sample 32 |
| Time Pressure | Every day | 62.5%08/2023 · sample 32 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 99.4%08/2023 · sample 32 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 86.9%08/2023 · sample 32 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: CNC Consulting Machinists' Calculator, Kentech Kipware Trig Kalculator
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks, KCD cabinet design software, Kentech Kipware Studio
- Computer aided manufacturing CAM software: 1CadCam Unigraphics, BobCAD-CAM, CGTech Vericut CNC, CNC Mastercam
- Desktop communications software: Eko
- Development environment software: MUMPS M
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: ERP software, SAP software
- Industrial control software: EditCNC, Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software, Work inspection software
- Information retrieval or search software: Kentech PROTALK
- Object or component oriented development software: G-code, M-code
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for computer numerically controlled tool operators
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 48 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $52,380 | $25.19 | 3,120 |
| Arizona | $48,950 | $23.53 | 1,800 |
| Arkansas | $50,280 | $24.17 | 2,180 |
| California | $56,510 | $27.17 | 21,680 |
| Colorado | $55,270 | $26.57 | 1,580 |
| Connecticut | $59,840 | $28.77 | 2,740 |
| Delaware | $50,010 | $24.04 | 170 |
| Florida | $46,170 | $22.20 | 4,040 |
| Georgia | $47,630 | $22.90 | 2,200 |
| Idaho | $53,340 | $25.64 | 480 |
| Illinois | $48,420 | $23.28 | 8,170 |
| Indiana | $48,590 | $23.36 | 9,690 |
| Iowa | $52,300 | $25.15 | 4,750 |
| Kansas | $48,400 | $23.27 | 2,540 |
| Kentucky | $49,180 | $23.64 | 1,740 |
| Louisiana | $49,800 | $23.94 | 670 |
| Maine | $59,660 | $28.69 | 440 |
| Maryland | $46,870 | $22.54 | 1,800 |
| Massachusetts | $61,630 | $29.63 | 2,500 |
| Michigan | $47,250 | $22.72 | 7,330 |
| Minnesota | $56,780 | $27.30 | 4,290 |
| Mississippi | $39,520 | $19.00 | 1,290 |
| Missouri | $51,000 | $24.52 | 1,500 |
| Montana | $51,880 | $24.94 | 240 |
| Nebraska | $49,360 | $23.73 | 830 |
| Nevada | $46,670 | $22.44 | 400 |
| New Hampshire | $59,730 | $28.72 | 1,770 |
| New Jersey | $54,100 | $26.01 | 1,770 |
| New Mexico | $44,970 | $21.62 | 70 |
| New York | $53,340 | $25.64 | 5,530 |
| North Carolina | $50,440 | $24.25 | 3,680 |
| North Dakota | $60,250 | $28.97 | 250 |
| Ohio | $49,160 | $23.63 | 21,250 |
| Oklahoma | $47,760 | $22.96 | 1,490 |
| Oregon | $56,670 | $27.24 | 2,920 |
| Pennsylvania | $54,590 | $26.25 | 7,840 |
| Rhode Island | $57,390 | $27.59 | 540 |
| South Carolina | $51,800 | $24.91 | 2,460 |
| South Dakota | $50,750 | $24.40 | 1,420 |
| Tennessee | $49,980 | $24.03 | 1,980 |
| Texas | $48,480 | $23.31 | 13,190 |
| Utah | $45,140 | $21.70 | 1,170 |
| Vermont | $57,500 | $27.64 | 1,190 |
| Virginia | $49,590 | $23.84 | 1,890 |
| Washington | $107,920 | $51.88 | 2,270 |
| West Virginia | $49,630 | $23.86 | 160 |
| Wisconsin | $52,690 | $25.33 | 8,330 |
| Wyoming | $54,170 | $26.04 | 60 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 389 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers→
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic→
- Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic→
- Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic→
- Machinists→
- Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other→
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic→
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 51-9161.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.