Trade licensing overview · machinist
How machinist licensing works — Michigan
How this trade is regulated in Michigan. none-in-pilot-states The framework below describes the national pathway most machinists in Michigan 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 Michigan · 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 Michigan 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 Michigan
Michigan machining is built on automotive: GM, Ford, and Stellantis stamping, transmission, and powertrain machining, plus a deep Tier-1 and Tier-2 supplier base across southeast Michigan. Tool-and-die work is denser here than in any other state by absolute count, with a long history of stamping-die and injection-mold shops in Macomb and Oakland counties.
Where they work
Detroit, Warren, Sterling Heights, Auburn Hills, Pontiac, and the broader southeast Michigan auto cluster anchor production, supplier, and tool-and-die machining. Grand Rapids and West Michigan hold office-furniture (Steelcase, Herman Miller-Knoll) and medical-device supplier work. Lansing has GM and supplier machining. Flint retains GM truck and stamping operations. The Thumb and the I-69 corridor hold smaller supplier shops. Northern Michigan has thin machining footprint outside of small ag and marine shops.
Pay context
BLS OES reports a Michigan median of $49,930 for machinists, on the lower end of the Midwest range despite Michigan's deep tool-and-die base. The statewide number is dragged down by smaller supplier shops; UAW-represented Big-3 powertrain machinist seats and union tool-and-die shops commonly pay well above the statewide median. Cost of living statewide is below national averages.
Training pathway
Macomb Community College, Henry Ford College, Oakland Community College, Schoolcraft College, and Mott Community College (Flint) all run NIMS-aligned machining programs in southeast Michigan. Grand Rapids Community College and Lansing Community College serve their metros. Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center sponsors employer-specific training. The UAW represents many GM/Ford/Stellantis machinist seats; the Tooling, Manufacturing & Technologies Association (TMTA) runs apprenticeship programming for tool-and-die.
Considerations
If you want tool-and-die, stamping, or auto-powertrain machining with the deepest legacy training base in the country, Michigan is the historical center of the trade. If you want stable production work without exposure to model-launch cycles or auto-industry restructuring, supplier shops carry real volatility. Verify backlog at the supplier level before accepting an offer; many southeast Michigan shops run lean and respond hard to OEM tooling decisions.
Michigan machinist snapshot
| MSA | Employed | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 9,560 | $57,240 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 3,690 | $49,750 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 780 | $54,720 |
| South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 720 | $48,750 |
| Saginaw, MI | 580 | $50,710 |
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.