Best Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator programs in Kentucky, ranked by enrollment
Operate computer-controlled tools, machines, or robots to machine or process parts, tools, or other work pieces made of metal, plastic, wood, stone, or other materials.
13 schools in Kentucky run programs that feed this job, graduating 468 people a year. The job pays a median of $49,180 in Kentucky across about 1,740 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Kentucky that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
1 programs in Kentucky that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Kentucky (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Kentucky page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 48.0503In Kentucky → | 468 | 100.0% | 13 | $36,566 | $9,429 |
Top 13 schools in Kentucky
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 10 of the 13 schools in this state.
All 13 schools in Kentucky
Every school in Kentucky with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owensboro Community and Technical College | Owensboro | Public | 107 | 1 |
| Gateway Community and Technical College | Florence | Public | 65 | 1 |
| Bluegrass Community and Technical College | Lexington | Public | 46 | 1 |
| Elizabethtown Community and Technical College | Elizabethtown | Public | 45 | 1 |
| Jefferson Community and Technical College | Louisville | Public | 45 | 1 |
| Somerset Community College | Somerset | Public | 40 | 1 |
| Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College | Bowling Green | Public | 33 | 1 |
| Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College | Cumberland | Public | 24 | 1 |
| Maysville Community and Technical College | Maysville | Public | 22 | 1 |
| West Kentucky Community and Technical College | Paducah | Public | 17 | 1 |
| Ashland Community and Technical College | Ashland | Public | 16 | 1 |
| Hopkinsville Community College | Hopkinsville | Public | 5 | 1 |
| Hazard Community and Technical College | Hazard | Public | 3 | 1 |
What computer numerically controlled tool operators earn in Kentucky
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $50,690. Kentucky pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Kentucky
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators page.
How to become a Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator
Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Kentucky
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 48.0503Machine Shop Technology/Assistant
- 48.0510Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology/CNC Machinist
Common questions
Answers for people weighing computer numerically controlled tool operators programs in Kentucky.
What degree do you need to become a Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Machine Shop Technology/Assistant, which awarded 468 degrees in Kentucky in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Precision Metal Working. Together they graduate about 468 people a year in Kentucky.
How much do computer numerically controlled tool operators earn in Kentucky?+
The median is $49,180 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.0% below the U.S. median of $50,690. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for computer numerically controlled tool operators growing?+
BLS projects a -10.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 13,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Kentucky?+
13 institutions in Kentucky reported graduates from at least one of the 1 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do computer numerically controlled tool operators work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Machine Operator, CNC Operator (Computer Numerical Control Operator), CNC Machinist (Computer Numerical Control Machinist), CNC Machine Operator (Computer Numerical Control Machine Operator) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 51-9161.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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