Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$49,080

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$41,710 – $57,940

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

4,680

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

-9.5%

Shrinking (below 0%)

Openings a year (projected)

400

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

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

Set up, operate, or tend drilling machines to drill, bore, ream, mill, or countersink metal or plastic work pieces.

Main tasks

• Verify conformance of machined work to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as calipers, micrometers, or fixed or telescoping gauges.
• Study machining instructions, job orders, or blueprints to determine dimensional or finish specifications, sequences of operations, setups, or tooling requirements.
• Move machine controls to lower tools to workpieces and to engage automatic feeds.
• Verify that workpiece reference lines are parallel to the axis of table rotation, using dial indicators mounted in spindles.
• Establish zero reference points on workpieces, such as at the intersections of two edges or over hole locations.
• Change worn cutting tools, using wrenches.
• Select and set cutting speeds, feed rates, depths of cuts, and cutting tools, according to machining instructions or knowledge of metal properties.
• Position and secure workpieces on tables, using bolts, jigs, clamps, shims, or other holding devices.

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

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

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.

• Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

  $52,800 median · -13.2% projected

• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

  $50,620 median · -11.3% projected

• Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing

  $43,380 median · -2.5% projected

• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

  $46,550 median · -10.8% projected

• Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners

  $50,060 median · -6.8% projected

• Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

  $46,330 median · -10.5% projected