Trade licensing overview · machinist
How machinist licensing works — Tennessee
How this trade is regulated in Tennessee. none-in-pilot-states The framework below describes the national pathway most machinists in Tennessee 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 Tennessee · 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee
Tennessee machining is built on automotive supplier work for Nissan (Smyrna), Volkswagen (Chattanooga), GM (Spring Hill), and the upcoming BlueOval City complex, defense and aerospace work in the Tullahoma corridor (Arnold AFB), Y-12 and Oak Ridge precision work, and a broad job-shop base across the state. Automotive Tier-1 work outnumbers aerospace specialty work.
Where they work
The Nashville metro and Middle Tennessee (Smyrna, Spring Hill, Murfreesboro) anchor automotive supplier machining. Chattanooga holds Volkswagen and supplier work. Knoxville and Oak Ridge hold Y-12 National Security Complex and laboratory-related precision machining. Tullahoma anchors Arnold AFB and aerospace test-equipment work. Memphis and West Tennessee hold supplier shops and the BlueOval City Ford EV complex (under build-out). Tri-Cities (Bristol/Kingsport/Johnson City) hold Eastman Chemical-adjacent equipment work.
Pay context
BLS OES reports a Tennessee median of $48,610 for machinists, on the lower end of the U.S. range. Cost of living statewide is below national averages and there is no state income tax on wages. Y-12 and Oak Ridge precision-component work commonly pays above the statewide median; rural Tier-2 supplier shops typically below.
Training pathway
Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) run CNC machining programs at multiple campuses including Murfreesboro, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Memphis. The Tennessee Promise and TN Reconnect grants cover much of the tuition. Tennessee Apprenticeship registers machinist apprentices through specific employers. NIMS credentialing is recognized at most major employers.
Considerations
If you want automotive Tier-1 supplier work or Oak Ridge precision machining in a low-cost-of-living state with no state income tax on wages, Tennessee is competitive. If you want aerospace specialty depth, the Tullahoma corridor and Oak Ridge are the main options; otherwise depth is limited. Right-to-work status reduces baseline union density. BlueOval City buildout will shift the West Tennessee labor market materially over the next several years.
Tennessee machinist snapshot
| MSA | Employed | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 1,640 | $49,280 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 1,450 | $58,150 |
| Knoxville, TN | 1,210 | $47,840 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | 660 | $50,730 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 370 | $55,610 |
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.