Trade licensing overview · machinist
How machinist licensing works — Indiana
How this trade is regulated in Indiana. none-in-pilot-states The framework below describes the national pathway most machinists in Indiana 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 Indiana · 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 Indiana 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 Indiana
Indiana machining is built on auto-supplier work for Subaru, Honda, Toyota, and GM plants, RV and truck-trailer manufacturing in the Elkhart corridor, defense work tied to Crane and Indianapolis, and a broad job-shop base across the state's industrial cities. The state runs more production and Tier-1 supplier seats than aerospace-specialty seats.
Where they work
Indianapolis and the central Indiana corridor hold defense-electronics machining tied to Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane and Rolls-Royce aero-engine production. The Elkhart-Goshen RV cluster runs trailer, chassis, and component machining. Lafayette anchors Subaru of Indiana Automotive and supplier shops. Kokomo holds Stellantis transmission machining. Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Evansville hold general job shops and automotive Tier-2 work. Columbus is anchored by Cummins engine machining.
Pay context
BLS OES reports an Indiana median of $48,910 for machinists, on the lower end of the Midwest range. Cost of living statewide is well below the national average, so take-home stretches further than the headline number suggests. Cummins, Subaru, and aerospace-supplier shops commonly pay above the statewide median; small Tier-2 shops typically below.
Training pathway
Ivy Tech Community College runs NIMS-aligned machining programs at multiple campuses (Indianapolis, Lafayette, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Evansville). Vincennes University offers related programs. The Indiana Office of Apprenticeship registers machinist programs through individual employers. The IAM and UAW represent some machinist seats at legacy auto and defense plants.
Considerations
If you want auto-supplier or heavy-equipment machining in a Midwest cost structure, Indiana is one of the steadier markets. If you want aerospace specialty depth, Indiana has Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis but otherwise leans production and Tier-2. Right-to-work status reduces baseline union density. Verify shift schedules; many production shops run two or three shifts and shift differentials vary widely.
Indiana machinist snapshot
| MSA | Employed | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 10,500 | $57,470 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 4,730 | $47,640 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 2,510 | $56,960 |
| Fort Wayne, IN | 1,740 | $48,830 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 1,140 | $57,280 |
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.