Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$68,120

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$58,270 – $81,890

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

28,500

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+5.9%

At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)

Openings a year (projected)

2,700

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Postsecondary nondegree award

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Develop programs to control machining or processing of materials by automatic machine tools, equipment, or systems. May also set up, operate, or maintain equipment.

Main tasks

• Determine the sequence of machine operations, and select the proper cutting tools needed to machine workpieces into the desired shapes.
• Analyze job orders, drawings, blueprints, specifications, printed circuit board pattern films, and design data to calculate dimensions, tool selection, machine speeds, and feed rates.
• Observe machines on trial runs or conduct computer simulations to ensure that programs and machinery will function properly and produce items that meet specifications.
• Write programs in the language of a machine's controller and store programs on media, such as punch tapes, magnetic tapes, or disks.
• Determine reference points, machine cutting paths, or hole locations, and compute angular and linear dimensions, radii, and curvatures.
• Enter computer commands to store or retrieve parts patterns, graphic displays, or programs that transfer data to other media.
• Revise programs or tapes to eliminate errors, and retest programs to check that problems have been solved.
• Modify existing programs to enhance efficiency.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Postsecondary nondegree award

Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators

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• Machinists

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• Model Makers, Metal and Plastic

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• Mechanical Drafters

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• Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians

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• Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians

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