Trade licensing overview · machinist
How machinist licensing works — Arizona
How this trade is regulated in Arizona. none-in-pilot-states The framework below describes the national pathway most machinists in Arizona follow.
Machinists are not state-licensed in the United States. Competency is demonstrated through NIMS (National Institute for Metalworking Skills) credentials, employer-administered machining and inspection tests, or completion of a DOL-registered Machinist apprenticeship.
Machinist wages in Arizona · BLS OES A01 2024
Wages are state-level annual figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (A01 2024). Specific machinist earnings in Arizona vary by metro area, employer type, union membership, and years of experience. Verify the current state and metro figures on the BLS OES site (bls.gov/oes).
What this trade actually looks like in Arizona
Arizona machining is built on aerospace and defense in the Phoenix metro and Tucson, semiconductor-related precision work tied to TSMC and Intel expansion, and a long-running base of job shops serving copper-mining, mining-equipment, and small-batch aerospace tooling. The Honeywell, Raytheon (now RTX), and Boeing footprints are large enough to anchor multi-shop supplier networks across the state.
Where they work
Phoenix and the East Valley (Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, Gilbert) host the densest machining cluster, tied to Honeywell Aerospace, Boeing rotorcraft, and the Intel and TSMC semiconductor build-out in Chandler. Tucson is anchored by Raytheon Missiles & Defense and a network of Tier-2 aerospace shops. Prescott and Yuma hold smaller pockets. Flagstaff has medical-device and optics-adjacent machining around W.L. Gore and university spinouts.
Pay context
BLS OES reports an Arizona median of $59,020 for machinists, near the U.S. average. Phoenix-area aerospace and semiconductor-related shops commonly pay above this number; Tucson defense work sits in a similar band. Cost of living in metro Phoenix has tracked national averages closely after recent housing-cost growth.
Training pathway
Maricopa Community Colleges (Gateway, Mesa, Estrella Mountain) run NIMS-aligned CNC and machining programs; Pima Community College serves Tucson with an established machining program tied to Raytheon. Arizona Manufacturing Extension Partnership and Arizona Commerce Authority sponsor short-cycle training. Registered apprenticeships exist through individual employers (Honeywell, Boeing) but are not the dominant entry path; community-college plus direct-hire is more common.
Considerations
If you want aerospace, defense, or semiconductor-adjacent precision work in a sunbelt cost structure, Arizona is a substantial match in the country. If you want union representation as a baseline, Arizona is right-to-work and machinist union density is lower than in the legacy aerospace states. Heat-related shop conditions matter: ask about climate control and shift schedules during summer.
Arizona machinist snapshot
| MSA | Employed | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 3,960 | $59,240 |
| Tucson, AZ | 720 | $58,380 |
| Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ | 190 | $57,550 |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | 80 | $50,390 |
| Yuma, AZ | 60 | $57,880 |
STATE LICENSE STATUS
No pilot state (TX, CA, FL, NY, IL) issues a person-level machinist license. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies machinists under SOC 51-4041 and lists typical entry through long-term on-the-job training, apprenticeship, or community-college machine-tool programs (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/machinists-and-tool-and-die-makers.htm). Because there is no statutory license, hiring shops typically verify skill through a bench test, print-reading and GD&T questions, and (increasingly) NIMS credential records (https://www.nims-skills.org). ITAR-regulated aerospace and defense shops add employer-specific background and citizenship checks per 22 CFR 120-130; those are job requirements, not state licenses.
NIMS CREDENTIALS
NIMS (National Institute for Metalworking Skills) issues 52 stackable, ANSI-accredited credentials covering Machining Level I, II, and III; CNC Milling and CNC Turning Operator and Programmer; Tool & Die; Mold Making; Stamping; Grinding; and Industrial Technology Maintenance (https://www.nims-skills.org/credentialing). Each credential requires an online theory exam plus a performance/part-inspection component verified by a NIMS-credentialed evaluator (https://www.nims-skills.org). Machining Level I is the recognized entry credential and is used by many registered apprenticeships as a first-year benchmark. NIMS credentials are accepted as Related Technical Instruction (RTI) evidence by many DOL-registered Machinist programs (https://www.apprenticeship.gov). The International Machine Tool Manufacturers Association (IMTMA, https://www.imtma.org) and the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA, https://www.ntma.org) both reference NIMS as the industry-standard skills benchmark.
CNC PROGRAMMING
CNC (computer numerical control) programming is the core skill for production machining. G-code and M-code fundamentals (ISO 6983 / EIA RS-274) are the baseline language read by Fanuc, Siemens, Haas, and Mazak controls (https://www.iso.org/standard/34608.html). Most production programs are generated in CAM software: Mastercam (https://www.mastercam.com), Autodesk Fusion 360 (https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360), and SolidWorks CAM (https://www.solidworks.com) are the most commonly listed in BLS machinist job postings (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/machinists-and-tool-and-die-makers.htm). 5-axis simultaneous programming is typical in aerospace structural and impeller work and is covered by NIMS CNC Milling Programmer Level III (https://www.nims-skills.org/credentialing). NIMS also offers a stand-alone Job Planning, Benchwork, and Layout credential that is a prerequisite for Machining Levels II and III.
APPRENTICESHIP PATHWAY
The U.S. Department of Labor registers Machinist apprenticeships under RAPIDS occupation code 0296 with a typical term of 8,000 on-the-job-training hours plus 576 hours of Related Technical Instruction; Tool and Die Maker (RAPIDS 0295) typically requires 10,000 OJT hours (https://www.apprenticeship.gov/apprenticeship-job-finder). Community-college Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees in Machine Tool Technology are a common parallel or substitute pathway and frequently articulate into NIMS credentials. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM, https://goiam.org) represents machinists in parts of aerospace, defense, and rail, though most U.S. production machinists work in non-union shops. NTMA and the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) both sponsor employer-led apprenticeships registered through DOL.
ADJACENT ROLES
Tool-and-die maker is the most demanding adjacent role, requiring roughly 10,000 OJT hours and tight-tolerance grinding, heat-treat, and fixture-building experience (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/machinists-and-tool-and-die-makers.htm). CNC programmer roles split into shop-floor edit/offset programmers and off-line CAM programmers; NIMS CNC Milling and CNC Turning Programmer credentials cover both (https://www.nims-skills.org/credentialing). Manual mill and lathe operator positions are still common in prototype, R&D, and repair shops. Quality-control and gauge inspector roles require formal GD&T training per ASME Y14.5-2018, Dimensioning and Tolerancing (https://www.asme.org/codes-standards/find-codes-standards/y14-5-dimensioning-tolerancing); ASME also publishes Y14.5.1 Mathematical Definition of Dimensioning and Tolerancing Principles. AS9100 (aerospace) and ISO 13485 (medical device) quality-system training are often required before a machinist is cleared to run regulated parts.