Best degree programs for Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, ranked by enrollment
1 college programs and 228 schools train Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $52,800 median wage, 12,460 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
1 college programs at 228 schools train milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic, graduating 3,489 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Machine Tool Technology/Machinist. The job pays a median of $52,800 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work pieces.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
1 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 48.0501 | 3,489 | 100.0% | 228 | $36,566 | $9,429 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $59,050 | 1,960 | 1.34× | 28 | 424 |
| South Carolina | $48,340 | 120 | 0.65× | 13 | 285 |
| Texas | $53,840 | 510 | 0.45× | 10 | 263 |
| Tennessee | $43,710 | 1,170 | 4.47× | 21 | 254 |
| Colorado | $53,780 | — | — | 6 | 167 |
| Oklahomamoderate | $40,250 | 160 | 1.19× | 4 | 166 |
| Mississippi | $39,100 | 100 | 1.08× | 11 | 158 |
| Utah | $46,580 | 100 | 0.71× | 8 | 158 |
| Wisconsin | $58,770 | 280 | 1.20× | 12 | 142 |
| Washington | $86,460 | 240 | 0.84× | 9 | 138 |
| Minnesota | $55,210 | 220 | 0.95× | 5 | 104 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $59,630 | 70 | 0.86× | 3 | 89 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,690 | 410 | 0.84× | 12 | 84 |
| Michigan | $48,400 | 670 | 1.90× | 10 | 74 |
| Missouri | $47,680 | 350 | 1.49× | 7 | 68 |
| Arkansasmoderate | $44,440 | 160 | 1.57× | 4 | 61 |
| Illinois | $63,360 | 570 | 1.16× | 7 | 60 |
| Nevadamoderate | $52,800 | 120 | 0.93× | 3 | 51 |
| Indianalimited | $57,720 | 590 | 2.31× | 2 | 46 |
| Iowamoderate | $51,600 | 140 | 1.09× | 4 | 42 |
| Mainemoderate | $45,210 | 120 | 2.40× | 3 | 27 |
| New Yorkmoderate | $56,560 | 550 | 0.71× | 3 | 26 |
| Ohio | $51,310 | 610 | 1.38× | 5 | 25 |
| Arizonalimited | $48,760 | 100 | 0.39× | 2 | 22 |
| Alabamalimited | $35,760 | 210 | 1.25× | 1 | 7 |
| New Jerseylimited | $50,530 | 190 | 0.55× | 1 | 5 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $49,230 | 50 | 0.98× | 1 | 4 |
| Massachusettslimited | $62,380 | — | — | 1 | 3 |
| West Virginialimited | $45,440 | 120 | 2.21× | 1 | 3 |
| Marylandlimited | $56,080 | 50 | 0.22× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Remove workpieces from machines, and check to ensure that they conform to specifications, using measuring instruments such as microscopes, gauges, calipers, and micrometers.
- Verify alignment of workpieces on machines, using measuring instruments such as rules, gauges, or calipers.
- Move controls to set cutting specifications, to position cutting tools and workpieces in relation to each other, and to start machines.
- Observe milling or planing machine operation, and adjust controls to ensure conformance with specified tolerances.
- Select and install cutting tools and other accessories according to specifications, using hand tools or power tools.
- Position and secure workpieces on machines, using holding devices, measuring instruments, hand tools, and hoists.
- Replace worn tools, using hand tools, and sharpen dull tools, using bench grinders.
- Study blueprints, layouts, sketches, or work orders to assess workpiece specifications and to determine tooling instructions, tools and materials needed, and sequences of operations.
Skills
- Monitoring3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Active Listening3.0
- Reading Comprehension2.9
- Speaking2.9
- Writing2.6
- Mathematics2.6
- Active Learning2.6
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical3.7
- Production and Processing3.6
- English Language3.5
- Mathematics3.5
- Computers and Electronics3.2
- Education and Training3.0
Abilities
- Manual Dexterity3.6
- Near Vision3.6
- Control Precision3.4
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.4
- Multilimb Coordination3.3
- Problem Sensitivity3.3
Core activities
- Controlling Machines and Processes4.7
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.2
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.2
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.1
- Handling and Moving Objects4.0
- Processing Information3.9
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Milling
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.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 1 majors mapped to Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 48.0501Machine Tool Technology/Machinist
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Milling?+
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 Tool Technology/Machinist, which awarded 3,489 degrees in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Milling?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Precision Metal Working. Together they graduate about 3,489 people a year.
How much do milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn?+
The median is $52,800 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $37,840 at the 10th percentile to $81,030 at the 90th. 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 milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic growing?+
BLS projects a -14.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 1,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
228 institutions 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 milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Mill Operator, Machine Operator, CNC Mill Operator (Computerized Numerical Control Mill Operator), CNC Licensed Mill Operator (Computer Numerical Control Licensed Mill Operator) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 51-4035.
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
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card