Trade licensing overview · machinist
How machinist licensing works — Colorado
How this trade is regulated in Colorado. none-in-pilot-states The framework below describes the national pathway most machinists in Colorado 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 Colorado · 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 Colorado 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 Colorado
Colorado machining is built on aerospace and space (Lockheed Martin, Ball Aerospace, Sierra Space, ULA, Boeing along the Front Range), defense electronics in Colorado Springs, and a growing base of medical-device and outdoor-equipment shops in Denver and Boulder. Production-manufacturing depth is moderate; the state leans toward smaller specialty shops rather than large-volume contract manufacturers.
Where they work
The Denver-Boulder-Longmont corridor anchors aerospace, space, and instrument machining (Lockheed in Littleton, Ball in Boulder, Sierra in Louisville). Colorado Springs hosts defense and Air Force contractor work. Loveland and Fort Collins hold semiconductor-related (Broadcom, Microchip) and instrument machining. Grand Junction supports oil-and-gas and energy-equipment work on the Western Slope. Pueblo retains steel-related and rail work tied to EVRAZ and the Pueblo Army Depot legacy.
Pay context
BLS OES reports a Colorado median of $58,890 for machinists. Front Range aerospace and space-launch shops commonly pay above this median; Western Slope and Pueblo work sits at or below. Cost of living in Denver and Boulder has risen meaningfully over the past five years and now tracks above national averages.
Training pathway
Front Range Community College (Westminster, Longmont) runs a NIMS-aligned machining program tied to Front Range aerospace. Pikes Peak State College serves Colorado Springs. Red Rocks, Arapahoe, and Aims Community College all offer CNC coursework. CareerWise Colorado sponsors youth apprenticeships in advanced manufacturing. The Colorado Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Colorado registers some machinist programs through specific employers.
Considerations
If you want aerospace and space-launch work in a smaller cost-of-living footprint than the California or Washington coasts, the Front Range is competitive. If you want union representation as a default, Colorado is mixed: some aerospace shops are IAM-represented but most smaller shops are not. Altitude, dry climate, and Front Range commute distance matter for daily life decisions.
Colorado machinist snapshot
| MSA | Employed | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 930 | $59,640 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 390 | $59,500 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 350 | $58,250 |
| Boulder, CO | 290 | $62,440 |
| Greeley, CO | 200 | $52,190 |
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.