This is always a good question. After all, I don’t know anyone volunteering to be a toolmaker because they think they are going to change the world. The answer to this question isn’t as straightforward as saying toolmakers on average make around $35 an hour because, while that is true in some sectors of manufacturing and in some areas of the world, that is not true of a toolmaker’s salary across all settings or locations.
Your salary as a toolmaker can be determined by many factors, such as whether you are in a union shop as opposed to a non-union shop. Are you working on new builds or maintaining dies in production? In addition to the hourly rate, the benefits that may or may not be offered by an employer is something I strongly recommend someone ask their prospective employers about. Sometimes it’s better to take a lower hourly pay rate if there is a better benefit or pension package or more paid time off, for example. These are all factors that will determine a toolmaker’s salary in our industry.
From discussion with other toolmakers here in southern Ontario, there are even opportunities where a tool and die maker works on contract to build the tool and then they are unemployed and free to work for someone else to build tooling without owning your own shop. If you are hard-working and know your craft well this could be an option for more time off. However, this article is going to mainly focus on the hourly rates with a standard employer.
Tool and die maker salaries vary quite a bit and, from doing some research for this blog post, it started to stand out that tool and die jobs are generally segregated to certain areas of North America. These areas seem to be legacy hubs for manufacturing or regions that are seeing incredible growth in manufacturing. From what I found, these regions appeared to be in southern Ontario (Canada), Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan (northeast/midwest USA), and North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas (southern USA).
ONTARIO
Based on my personal experience, I am mainly going to tell you what the going rate for a toolmaker is in southern Ontario, Canada.
Apprentices can make anywhere from $17-$25* per hour.
A journeyperson can make anywhere from $28-45* per hour.
These ranges in the hourly rate all have to do with whether the shop is union or not and the nature of the work. Working for larger shops, provided you’re competent, can pay more. Similarly, working in a more precise industry, such as aerospace, will tend to pay more in comparison to something less precise, such as manufacturing consumables for retail.
*Those numbers are not including any shift premiums or overtime.
NORTHEAST/MIDWEST USA
The northern midwest region of the United States of America (Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) are all states that have a lot of work for tool makers.
From doing a quick search for “toolmaker” and reviewing a minimum of 50 postings that advertised salaries for their positions in these states, these were some of the salary variations per state:
Ohio
Click Here for the Indeed Search.
Toolmaker salary with 1-5 years experience:
$16-$36/hour
Pennsylvania
Click here for the Pennsylvania search.
Toolmaker salary with 1-5 years experience:
$20-$38/hour
Illinois
Click here for the Illinois Search.
Toolmaker salary with 1-5 years experience:
$22-$35/hour
Michigan
Click here for Michigan search.
Toolmaker salary with 1-5 years experience:
$27-$36/hour
SOUTHERN USA
Another region that I feel is getting a lot of attention and in need of toolmakers, is the southern United States.
I have some family there where I have received job offers paying $35 an hour USD with a signing bonus. I can’t speak to the benefits that may or may not come with this because I was left with the impression there were little to no benefits, but open overtime as much as one wanted at straight time (no overtime premium). Also, with all this talk about Elon Musk building the new Giga Factory in Texas, I feel there is going to be a wave of opportunity in that region for people with toolmaker skills.
North Carolina
With a low cost of living, great weather, and lots to do outdoors, North Carolina could be a great place to live.
Click here for North Carolina Search.
Toolmaker salary with 1-5 years experience:
$18-$35/hour with some offering signing bonuses
Texas
Like I just mentioned about Elon Musk and the new Giga Factory announcement, Texas is always in the news as an up and coming manufacturing giant.
Toolmaker salary with 1-5 years experience:
$23-45/hour
Something to note from the listings I saw that stated a salary, is that Texas had a fair median wage of $37.50 for a tool and die maker and, as of January 1, 2021, there looks to be a lot of opportunity for a toolmaker in Texas right now.
As you can see, toolmaking can still be a lucrative opportunity, if you are willing to put in the time and look for the right jobs that will satisfy you. It will be interesting to see how the industry will grow or contract with the new Canada/Mexico/USA free trade deal. I feel the need for more manufacturing of essential medical supplies/PPE will be a good thing for some toolmakers, as there will be national security protecting those jobs sectors. How automotive and aerospace are going to respond to all the new market pressures such as electric vehicles, fewer flights, reduced travel, and the ongoing trade war with China is yet to be seen. Hopefully, the changes will bring back and create more high quality, high paying toolmaker trade jobs to North America.
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