Best degree programs for Tool and Die Makers, ranked by enrollment
1 college programs and 35 schools train Tool and Die Makers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $64,050 median wage, 56,930 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
1 college programs at 35 schools train tool and die makers, graduating 423 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Tool and Die Technology/Technician. The job pays a median of $64,050 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About tool and die makers
Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.
Tool and die makers are highly skilled crafters working in the manufacturing industries. Tool and die makers work primarily in toolroom environments—sometimes literally in one room but more often in an environment with flexible, semipermeable boundaries from production work. They are skilled artisans (craftspeople) who typically learn their trade through a combination of academic coursework and with substantial period of on-the-job training that is functionally an apprenticeship. They make jigs, fixtures, dies, molds, machine tools, cutting tools, gauges, and other tools used in manufacturing processes.
Read more on Wikipedia →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 48.0507 | 423 | 100.0% | 35 | $36,566 | $9,429 |
Top 35 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What tool and die makers 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $64,800 | 690 | 0.89× | 7 | 120 |
| Wisconsin | $68,120 | 2,450 | 2.27× | 6 | 78 |
| Michiganmoderate | $65,590 | 9,420 | 5.84× | 3 | 46 |
| Iowamoderate | $65,000 | 760 | 1.32× | 3 | 35 |
| Ohiolimited | $62,280 | 5,520 | 2.72× | 2 | 26 |
| Indianalimited | $68,050 | 4,090 | 3.49× | 1 | 22 |
| Nebraskalimited | $69,150 | 360 | 0.97× | 1 | 16 |
| New Yorklimited | $68,080 | 1,270 | 0.36× | 1 | 14 |
| North Carolinalimited | $61,060 | 1,580 | 0.87× | 2 | 6 |
| Tennesseelimited | $60,760 | 2,930 | 2.44× | 1 | 5 |
| Illinoislimited | $61,170 | 5,220 | 2.34× | 2 | 3 |
| Georgialimited | $60,020 | 850 | 0.48× | 1 | 2 |
| Minnesotalimited | $71,020 | 1,150 | 1.06× | 1 | 2 |
| Kansaslimited | $83,890 | 660 | 1.25× | 1 | 1 |
| Pennsylvanialimited | $61,160 | 3,380 | 1.52× | 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
- Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators.
- Set up and operate conventional or computer numerically controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders to cut, bore, grind, or otherwise shape parts to prescribed dimensions and finishes.
- Visualize and compute dimensions, sizes, shapes, and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications.
- Study blueprints, sketches, models, or specifications to plan sequences of operations for fabricating tools, dies, or assemblies.
- Fit and assemble parts to make, repair, or modify dies, jigs, gauges, and tools, using machine tools, hand tools, or welders.
- Inspect finished dies for smoothness, contour conformity, and defects.
- Select metals to be used from a range of metals and alloys, based on properties such as hardness or heat tolerance.
- Lift, position, and secure machined parts on surface plates or worktables, using hoists, vises, v-blocks, or angle plates.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Active Learning3.0
- Active Listening3.0
- Reading Comprehension2.9
- Speaking2.9
- Mathematics2.8
- Writing2.3
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical4.5
- Mathematics3.5
- Production and Processing3.5
- Design3.4
- English Language3.0
- Engineering and Technology2.9
Abilities
- Near Vision3.8
- Visualization3.8
- Problem Sensitivity3.6
- Finger Dexterity3.4
- Manual Dexterity3.4
- Control Precision3.4
Core activities
- Getting Information4.5
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.1
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates3.8
- Thinking Creatively3.8
- Controlling Machines and Processes3.8
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings3.8
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Tool
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 1 majors mapped to Tool and Die Makers1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 48.0507Tool and Die Technology/Technician
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 Tool?+
Postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Tool and Die Technology/Technician, which awarded 423 degrees in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Tool?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Precision Metal Working. Together they graduate about 423 people a year.
How much do tool and die makers earn?+
The median is $64,050 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $44,680 at the 10th percentile to $92,680 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 tool and die makers growing?+
BLS projects a -10.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 4,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
35 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 tool and die makers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Tool Maker, Tool and Die Maker, Tool and Die Machinist, Tool and Fixture Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 51-4111.
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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