Tool and Die Makers
SOC 51-4111 · 2024-2034
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.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
Shrinking -11.1%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $78,788per year
- Projected openings
- 1,520
- Projected change
- -11.1%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary non-degree award
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Quality Control Analysis
- Critical Thinking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Monitoring
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $89,178 | 80 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $80,870 | 440 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $79,183 | 210 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $74,086 | 170 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $46,753
- A quarter earn under
- $55,887
- Half earn under
- $78,788
- Three quarters earn under
- $94,621
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $106,639
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $49,556 | 6,410 | -11.7% |
| Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $61,553 | 2,020 | -15.4% |
| Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand | $45,464 | 1,100 | -26.3% |
| Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $60,397 | 1,390 | -20% |
| Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $47,878 | 3,160 | 0% |
Programs that train for this job — 2
El Dorado Molds
El Dorado Molds · Rancho Cordova · $0
Tool and Die
San Bernardino Valley College · San Bernardino · $4,311