Trade licensing overview · machinist
How machinist licensing works — Missouri
Government dataHow this trade is regulated in Missouri. none-in-pilot-states The framework below describes the national pathway most machinists in Missouri 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 Missouri · BLS OES 2024 release · data through May 2024 · BLS source
Wages are state-level annual figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (2024 release · data through May 2024). Specific machinist earnings in Missouri 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 Missouri
Missouri machining is built on Boeing Defense in St. Louis (F/A-18, F-15, T-7), GM and Ford auto-supplier work, ag-equipment and small-engine manufacturing, and a steady job-shop base across both metros. The state runs a stronger aerospace-specialty footprint than most central-Midwest peers and remains a meaningful tool-and-die location.
Where they work
St. Louis (Hazelwood, Berkeley, St. Charles) anchors Boeing Defense and a deep Tier-2 supplier tail. Kansas City and the western metros hold Ford Claycomo, GM Wentzville-supplier work, and Honeywell FM&T precision-component work tied to NNSA. Springfield holds general job shops and supplier work. Joplin and southwest Missouri have small manufacturing pockets. Mid-Missouri (Columbia, Jefferson City) is thin outside of small supplier shops.
Pay context
BLS OES reports a Missouri median of $57,920 for machinists, in the middle of the U.S. range. Boeing Defense IAM-represented seats in St. Louis and Honeywell FM&T precision-component work in Kansas City anchor the upper end of the range. Cost of living in both metros sits at or below national averages.
Training pathway
St. Louis Community College (Florissant Valley), Ranken Technical College (St. Louis), Metropolitan Community College-Business and Technology (Kansas City), and Ozarks Technical Community College (Springfield) all run NIMS-aligned machining programs. Ranken is one of the more established private nonprofit programs in the country. The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development sponsors short-cycle training. IAM District 837 represents many Boeing Defense machinists in St. Louis.
Considerations
The St. Louis cluster hosts defense-aerospace machining with an IAM-represented pathway (Boeing Defense F/A-18, F-15, T-7) at Midwest cost of living. Kansas City adds production-manufacturing variety (Ford Claycomo, GM Wentzville-supplier, Honeywell FM&T). Medical-device and semiconductor-equipment specialty work is leaner than in Minnesota or Massachusetts. Verify whether the target shop is union or non-union before accepting an offer.
Missouri machinist snapshot
| MSA | Employed | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 5,640 | $60,850 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 1,380 | $54,380 |
| Joplin, MO-KS | 360 | $48,960 |
| Springfield, MO | 310 | $48,160 |
| St. Joseph, MO-KS | 100 | $62,160 |
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.