Statewide pay Government data
Machinists in Montana earn a statewide median of $60,920 a year, 7% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #20 of 50 states and DC. About 630 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Montana
See all states on the machinists nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes machinist pay for 4 Montana metros. The highest-paying is Bozeman at $66,500, followed by Billings and Missoula.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| BozemanMONTANA · MT | $66,500 | $64,872 | 40 |
| BillingsMONTANA · MT | $64,420 | $68,879 | 140 |
| MissoulaMONTANA · MT | $60,060 | $62,274 | 50 |
| Great FallsMONTANA · MT | $59,340 | $61,273 | 40 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Montana's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 26,100 openings a year. Typical training: long-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, machinists have 108 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.3× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
What the work is like Government data
How often machinists deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Where to train in Montana Government data
13 schools in Montana offer precision metal working (welding, machining, sheet metal) programs below the bachelor's level. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
Where published, graduates earned a median of $42,934 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Falls College Montana State University Great Falls, MT · Public | Certificate | $14,989 | 56 | $42,239 |
| Montana State University Bozeman, MT · Public | Certificate | $26,943 | 41 | $43,629 |
| Flathead Valley Community College Kalispell, MT · Public | Certificate | $17,956 | 26 | — |
| Montana State University-Northern Havre, MT · Public | Certificate | $19,380 | 25 | — |
| Helena College University of Montana Helena, MT · Public | Certificate | $17,923 | 23 | — |
| Great Falls College Montana State University Great Falls, MT · Public | Associate degree | $14,989 | 14 | — |
| Helena College University of Montana Helena, MT · Public | Associate degree | $17,923 | 12 | — |
| Montana State University Billings Billings, MT · Public | Associate degree | $19,195 | 10 | — |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Licensing in Montana Official source
The main state licensing office in Montana is the Montana Department of Labor and Industry (Business Standards). It can point you to the right license for machinists.
Official Montana licensing site ↗
Requirements for machinists vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 11.2% of wage and salary workers in Montana were union members, above the U.S. rate of about 10% (#19 of 51 states and D.C.), and 12.3% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only machinists.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Montana
All trades in Montana.