Tool and Die Makers Salary: $77,564 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 55,130 tool and die makers nationally earn a mean of $77,564. Employment in the series shown fell about 24% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 6.7% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Tool and Die Makers: what the data shows
Common questions about tool and die makers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a tool and die makers?
Tool and Die Makers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-4111.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 55,130 workers.
What does a tool and die makers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Thinking Creatively, Controlling Machines and Processes, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a tool and die makers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $63,180 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $77,564 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,334 |
| 25th percentile | $58,552 |
| Median (50th) | $79,821 |
| 75th percentile | $95,241 |
| 90th percentile | $105,029 |
What education do you need?
For Tool and Die Makers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Time Management, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, Mathematics, Production and Processing, Design. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is tool and die makers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.7% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -29.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -49.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 55,130.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do tool and die makerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 55,130 | 19.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 54,740 | 19.7% |
| Manufacturing | 51,580 | 18.6% |
| Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 14,280 | 5.1% |
| Machinery Manufacturing | 12,500 | 4.5% |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 10,980 | 4.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Tool and Die Makers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Machinists | 298,790 | $56,150 |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 424,040 | $51,000 |
| Sheet Metal Workers | 117,470 | $60,850 |
| Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers | 16,570 | $53,990 |
| Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 18,970 | $48,620 |
| Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 129,850 | $46,060 |
| Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 5,310 | $46,630 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Tool and Die Makers workforce.
Employment Over Time
55,130 Workforce in 2023
The Tool and Die Makers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Tool and Die Makers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$77,564 Average Wage
In 2023, Tool and Die Makers earned an average of $77,564.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Tool and Die Makers.
Salary distribution for Tool and Die Makers.
Employment Growth Projections
-6.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
3,769 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -29.1%
2,671 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -49.8%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Tool and Die Makers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Tool and Die Makers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Tool and Die Makers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Tool and Die Makers.
Wage Trends by Industry
8.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Tool and Die Makers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Tool and Die Makers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- MI: 9,190 employees, $67,190 avg wage
- OH: 5,460 employees, $62,940 avg wage
- IL: 4,590 employees, $62,100 avg wage
- IN: 3,580 employees, $65,230 avg wage
- WI: 2,970 employees, $65,570 avg wage
- PA: 2,910 employees, $59,250 avg wage
- TN: 2,180 employees, $60,040 avg wage
- KY: 2,100 employees, $64,240 avg wage
- CT: 1,800 employees, $73,860 avg wage
- MO: 1,680 employees, $64,150 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Tool and Die Makers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 4,540 employees, $70,150 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 3,100 employees, $63,910 avg wage
- Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI: 1,660 employees, $64,530 avg wage
- Cleveland, OH: 1,300 employees, $64,480 avg wage
- Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI: 1,060 employees, $67,480 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 840 employees, $87,810 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 800 employees, $70,770 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 780 employees, $76,290 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 760 employees, $75,920 avg wage
- St. Louis, MO-IL: 740 employees, $63,630 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Tool and Die Makers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Tool and Die Makers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Tool and Die Makers in 2023 was 55,130 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Tool and Die Makers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Tool and Die Makers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Tool and Die Makers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Tool and Die Makers in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Tool and Die Makers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Tool and Die Makers workers.
Education level distribution for Tool and Die Makers.
Skills
Tool and Die Makers need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Time Management.
Required skills for Tool and Die Makers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Tool and Die Makers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Tool and Die Makers include Mechanical, Mathematics, Production and Processing, Design, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Tool and Die Makers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Tool and Die Makers include Near Vision, Visualization, Problem Sensitivity, Manual Dexterity, Control Precision.
Required abilities for Tool and Die Makers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Tool and Die Makers.
Daily Activities
Tool and Die Makers spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Thinking Creatively, Controlling Machines and Processes.
Most important work activities for Tool and Die Makers.
About
Tool and Die Makers
The average yearly wage for Tool and Die Makers was $77,564 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-4111 - Tool and Die Makers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Tool and Die Makers reports an average salary of $77,564.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 55,130 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -6.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.