Also called: Toolmaker, Diemaker
Builds the precision dies, molds and cutting tools that factories use to stamp, form and shape parts.
You're building a stamping die that will punch out car door hinges, working to accuracies thinner than a hair. You grind, fit, test and adjust pieces of hardened steel until the die makes a perfect part. It's one of the most skilled jobs on any shop floor.
BLS May 2024 median for tool and die makers was about $63,180.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Apprenticeship, about 4 years after high school. Four-year apprenticeship or technical program plus on-the-job training.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, Trade school, 2-year college. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Tool and Die Technology (trade school), Machine Tool Technology.
Shrinking (about -4% over 10 years). Fewer jobs, but many retirements mean real openings.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps design tools, but hand-fitting, polishing and repairing precision dies stay a scarce human craft.
Classes: Machining CTE class, Geometry, Trigonometry, Blueprint reading.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-4111.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.