Trade licensing overview · machinist
How machinist licensing works — Massachusetts
How this trade is regulated in Massachusetts. none-in-pilot-states The framework below describes the national pathway most machinists in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts · 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts
Massachusetts machining is built on defense and aerospace (Raytheon, BAE Systems, General Dynamics Mission Systems), medical device in Worcester and the 495 corridor, semiconductor-equipment precision work, and a long-running base of Tier-2 supplier shops across the central and western parts of the state. The state retains stronger tool-and-die and precision-grinding work than most coastal peers.
Where they work
The Boston metro and Route 128 corridor hold defense electronics and instrument machining. The 495 corridor (Marlborough, Hudson, Westford) anchors medical-device and semiconductor-equipment work. Worcester and central Massachusetts hold legacy precision shops including Saint-Gobain and Polar Beverages-adjacent equipment work. The Connecticut River Valley (Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee) holds aerospace-supplier and defense work tied to Westover Air Reserve Base and Smith & Wesson.
Pay context
BLS OES reports a Massachusetts median of $62,420 for machinists, among the higher in the country. Defense, medical-device, and semiconductor-equipment shops anchor the upper end of the range. Cost of housing in Greater Boston and the 495 corridor cuts significantly into the nominal advantage; central and western Massachusetts deliver more take-home for the same wage.
Training pathway
Quinsigamond Community College (Worcester), Bristol Community College, Greater Lowell Technical, Springfield Technical Community College, and Mt. Wachusett Community College all run NIMS-aligned machining programs. The Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the Workforce Skills Cabinet sponsor short-cycle training. The Massachusetts Division of Apprentice Standards registers machinist programs through specific employers.
Considerations
If you want defense, medical-device, or semiconductor-equipment machining in a state with strong training pipelines and high-tech employers, Massachusetts is one of the deeper New England markets. If you want low cost of living, Boston-metro housing and statewide tax structure cut into nominal wages. Verify total commute and total cost before accepting an offer in the inner Boston market; many machinists live well outside Route 128.
Massachusetts machinist snapshot
| MSA | Employed | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 5,210 | $63,600 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 1,360 | $58,850 |
| Worcester, MA | 1,080 | $60,910 |
| Springfield, MA | 980 | $60,110 |
| Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | 150 | $63,970 |
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.