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Tool and Die Makers: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
16 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Tool and Die Makers, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for DIE MANUFACTURER (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| DIE FINISHER | 0114 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| DIE MAKER (Jewelry-Silver) | 0115 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| DIE MAKER (Paper Goods) | 0654 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| DIE MAKER, BENCH, STAMPING | 0668 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| DIE MAKER, STAMPING | 0118 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| DIE MAKER, TRIM | 0119 | Competency-Based: 7,328 hours Hybrid: 7,328 to 9,160 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 7,328 hours |
| DIE MAKER, WIRE DRAWING | 0939 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| DIE MANUFACTURER | 0586 | Competency-Based: 2,000 to 8,000 hours Competency-Based: 2,000 to 8,000 hours Competency-Based: 2,000 to 8,000 hours Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Hybrid (V2): 4,000 to 6,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 7,328 hours Time-Based (V3): 7,328 hours Time-Based (V4): 4,000 hours |
| DIE SINKER | 0122 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| MOLD MAKER I (CB) | 0116 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| PLASTIC FIXTURE BUILDER | 0843 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| PLASTIC TOOL MAKER | 0426 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| SAW MAKER (Cutlery & Tools) | 0496 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| TAP AND DIE MAKER TECHNICIAN | 0559 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| TOOL MAKER | 0584 | Competency-Based: 7,328 hours Hybrid: 7,328 to 9,160 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V3): 7,328 hours |
| TOOL MAKER, BENCH | 0585 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What tool and die makers earn, by state
Washington has the highest state median for tool and die makers ($109,390) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($37,820), across the 46 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $109,390 | $52.59 | 1,510 |
| Kansas | $83,890 | $40.33 | 660 |
| Maine | $79,910 | $38.42 | 80 |
| Connecticut | $77,540 | $37.28 | 1,880 |
| California | $77,030 | $37.04 | 1,790 |
| New Jersey | $74,460 | $35.80 | 540 |
| Oregon | $73,930 | $35.54 | 300 |
| North Dakota | $73,130 | $35.16 | 70 |
| Minnesota | $71,020 | $34.15 | 1,150 |
| New Hampshire | $69,910 | $33.61 | 250 |
| Vermont | $69,300 | $33.32 | 140 |
| Nebraska | $69,150 | $33.24 | 360 |
| Wisconsin | $68,120 | $32.75 | 2,450 |
| New York | $68,080 | $32.73 | 1,270 |
| Indiana | $68,050 | $32.72 | 4,090 |
| Massachusetts | $67,230 | $32.32 | 850 |
| Kentucky | $66,570 | $32.00 | 1,900 |
| Oklahoma | $65,870 | $31.67 | 330 |
| Michigan | $65,590 | $31.53 | 9,420 |
| South Carolina | $65,250 | $31.37 | 870 |
| Iowa | $65,000 | $31.25 | 760 |
| Alabama | $64,800 | $31.15 | 690 |
| Virginia | $64,050 | $30.79 | 390 |
| Florida | $63,890 | $30.71 | 440 |
| Colorado | $63,800 | $30.67 | 160 |
| Rhode Island | $63,430 | $30.49 | 260 |
| Ohio | $62,280 | $29.94 | 5,520 |
| Nevada | $61,350 | $29.49 | 220 |
| Illinois | $61,170 | $29.41 | 5,220 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,160 | $29.40 | 3,380 |
| North Carolina | $61,060 | $29.36 | 1,580 |
| Missouri | $60,810 | $29.24 | 1,280 |
| Tennessee | $60,760 | $29.21 | 2,930 |
| Georgia | $60,020 | $28.86 | 850 |
| South Dakota | $59,770 | $28.74 | 60 |
| Arizona | $59,140 | $28.44 | 310 |
| Maryland | $58,110 | $27.94 | 70 |
| Mississippi | $57,980 | $27.87 | 300 |
| Idaho | $57,800 | $27.79 | 50 |
| Arkansas | $56,840 | $27.33 | 290 |
| Utah | $56,740 | $27.28 | 270 |
| Texas | $55,470 | $26.67 | 1,710 |
| New Mexico | $47,960 | $23.06 | 40 |
| Louisiana | $46,950 | $22.57 | 170 |
| West Virginia | $46,190 | $22.21 | 40 |
| Puerto Rico | $37,820 | $18.18 | 340 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).