Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators salary

SOC 51-9161 · BLS OEWS May 2025

Median

$50,690

per year, nationally

Middle half

$44,930–$61,760

25th to 75th percentile

Employed

169,450

in the U.S.

Growth 2024–34

-10.7%

13,500 openings/yr

What the range looks like

A single median hides most of what a job pays. The bar below is the full national range: the wash spans the 10th to 90th percentile, the solid bar is the middle half, and the tick is the median.

$38,140$73,890

10th: $38,140
25th: $44,930
Median: $50,690
75th: $61,760
90th: $73,890

Getting in

Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent
Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Entry requirements describe what is typical, not mandatory. Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34.

Where computer numerically controlled tool operators earn the most

Nominal pay and pay adjusted for local prices rank states differently — a high-wage state with high costs can be worse off in real terms than a middling one. Switch between the two below.

The median wage as published, before local prices are taken into account.

#	State	Median	Cost of living	Employed	Concentrationvs. national
1	Washington	$107,920	107.0	2,270	0.59×
2	Massachusetts	$61,630	105.8	2,500	0.63×
3	North Dakota	$60,250	89.0	250	0.53×
4	Connecticut	$59,840	103.6	2,740	1.48×
5	New Hampshire	$59,730	104.2	1,770	2.37×
6	Maine	$59,660	97.0	440	0.63×
7	Vermont	$57,500	98.0	1,190	3.60×
8	Rhode Island	$57,390	102.3	540	0.98×
9	Minnesota	$56,780	98.6	4,290	1.33×
10	Oregon	$56,670	103.4	2,920	1.36×
11	California	$56,510	110.7	21,680	1.09×
12	Colorado	$55,270	103.1	1,580	0.51×
13	Pennsylvania	$54,590	97.6	7,840	1.19×
14	Wyoming	$54,170	92.7	60	0.20×
15	New Jersey	$54,100	108.8	1,770	0.38×
16	New York	$53,340	107.9	5,530	0.52×
17	Idaho	$53,340	95.5	480	0.51×
18	Wisconsin	$52,690	94.1	8,330	2.60×
19	Alabama	$52,380	88.8	3,120	1.36×
20	Iowa	$52,300	87.8	4,750	2.79×
21	Montana	$51,880	94.6	240	0.44×
22	South Carolina	$51,800	93.7	2,460	0.98×
23	Missouri	$51,000	90.8	1,500	0.47×
24	South Dakota	$50,750	88.6	1,420	2.85×
25	North Carolina	$50,440	94.3	3,680	0.68×
26	Arkansas	$50,280	86.9	2,180	1.54×
27	Delaware	$50,010	99.8	170	0.32×
28	Tennessee	$49,980	91.9	1,980	0.55×
29	Louisiana	$49,800	88.2	670	0.32×
30	West Virginia	$49,630	89.5	160	0.20×
31	Virginia	$49,590	101.1	1,890	0.42×
32	Nebraska	$49,360	90.1	830	0.75×
33	Kentucky	$49,180	90.2	1,740	0.80×
34	Ohio	$49,160	92.8	21,250	3.51×
35	Arizona	$48,950	100.7	1,800	0.51×
36	Indiana	$48,590	93.3	9,690	2.78×
37	Texas	$48,480	97.1	13,190	0.86×
38	Illinois	$48,420	100.0	8,170	1.23×
39	Kansas	$48,400	90.1	2,540	1.62×
40	Oklahoma	$47,760	87.8	1,490	0.80×
41	Georgia	$47,630	96.3	2,200	0.41×
42	Michigan	$47,250	96.2	7,330	1.53×
43	Maryland	$46,870	105.0	1,800	0.60×
44	Nevada	$46,670	100.0	400	0.24×
45	Florida	$46,170	103.4	4,040	0.37×
46	Utah	$45,140	98.9	1,170	0.62×
47	New Mexico	$44,970	92.2	70	0.07×
48	Mississippi	$39,520	87.0	1,290	1.02×

Cost of living is the BEA regional price parity for all items, where 100 is the national average. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: how much more of the local workforce does this job than the national average, so 2.00× means twice the national share. It is often the reason wages differ — a place that concentrates an occupation has the employers and the competition for it. States where computer numerically controlled tool operators wages are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality are omitted.

Best paying metro areas for computer numerically controlled tool operators

The 40 highest-paying metros with a published estimate. BLS suppresses roughly half of all occupation-by-metro cells, so a metro absent here has no local figure rather than a low one.

The median wage as published, before local prices are taken into account.

#	Metro area	Median	Cost of living	Employed	Concentrationvs. national
1	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$109,600	111.1	1,960	0.86×
2	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$64,180	108.3	1,890	0.64×
3	Albany, OR	$64,170	102.1	290	5.59×
4	Fargo, ND-MN	$63,610	90.9	110	0.70×
5	Morristown, TN	$62,760	86.4	70	1.37×
6	Lewiston, ID-WA	$62,000	91.2	50	1.75×
7	Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH	$61,830	89.0	40	1.11×
8	Huntsville, AL	$61,790	93.1	440	1.51×
9	Manchester-Nashua, NH	$61,650	105.7	300	1.37×
10	Sandusky, OH	$61,360	89.3	300	5.45×
11	Mobile, AL	$61,340	88.1	180	0.95×
12	St. Joseph, MO-KS	$60,960	86.4	40	0.73×
13	Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT	$60,600	106.9	230	0.51×
14	Elmira, NY	$60,260	94.4	140	3.78×
15	Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	$60,210	102.7	1,640	2.51×
16	Springfield, MA	$60,200	96.1	400	1.82×
17	Glens Falls, NY	$60,150	94.9	150	2.72×
18	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$60,100	108.8	200	0.91×
19	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$59,930	107.8	110	0.47×
20	Vallejo, CA	$59,740	108.5	170	1.10×
21	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$59,620	110.4	2,050	1.66×
22	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$59,600	115.6	1,930	0.75×
23	Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ	$59,440	98.3	50	0.59×
24	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$59,360	105.4	1,980	1.50×
25	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$59,280	109.9	70	0.63×
26	Memphis, TN-MS-AR	$59,270	92.2	690	1.03×
27	Birmingham, AL	$59,080	91.6	630	1.12×
28	Amarillo, TX	$59,070	91.8	190	1.40×
29	Boulder, CO	$58,980	105.2	120	0.57×
30	Lancaster, PA	$58,970	98.3	510	1.87×
31	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$58,900	112.6	2,770	0.27×
32	Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	$58,870	91.7	430	0.97×
33	Stockton-Lodi, CA	$58,850	105.1	240	0.76×
34	Pittsburgh, PA	$58,770	94.7	1,650	1.36×
35	Worcester, MA	$58,740	102.5	490	1.29×
36	Eau Claire, WI	$58,660	92.8	180	1.96×
37	Burlington-South Burlington, VT	$58,640	100.9	510	3.88×
38	Green Bay, WI	$58,610	93.1	300	1.56×
39	Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA	$58,570	93.6	250	0.89×
40	Savannah, GA	$58,570	95.2	300	1.38×

Cost of living is the BEA regional price parity for all items, where 100 is the national average. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: how much more of the local workforce does this job than the national average, so 2.00× means twice the national share. It is often the reason wages differ — a place that concentrates an occupation has the employers and the competition for it. Metro areas where computer numerically controlled tool operators wages are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality are omitted.

Similar occupations

Other jobs in the same field, with what each pays nationally.

Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators salary

What the range looks like

Getting in

Where computer numerically controlled tool operators earn the most

Best paying metro areas for computer numerically controlled tool operators

Similar occupations

Compare