Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes machinist pay for 2 Puerto Rico metros: Aguadilla and San Juan.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| AguadillaPUERTO RICO · PR | $32,490 | — | 40 |
| San JuanPUERTO RICO · PR | $29,310 | — | 920 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
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.
Serious injuries & deaths reported to OSHA Government data
Puerto Rico runs its own workplace-safety program (an OSHA State Plan), so its injury reports aren't in the federal dataset. Nationally, in states federal OSHA covers, machine shops filed 411 severe injury reports from 2015 to 2024; the most common cause was contact with objects and equipment (79%).
OSHA Severe Injury Reports, January 2015–December 2024 (states under federal OSHA only).
Fatality investigations: OSHA Fatality Inspection Data, events 2015–2024, all states.
Where to train in Puerto Rico Government data
9 schools in Puerto Rico offer precision metal working (welding, machining, sheet metal) programs below the bachelor's level, 1 of them at public colleges. 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 $28,570 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mech-Tech College Caguas, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $20,396 | 227 | — |
| Colegio Mayor de Tecnologia Inc Arroyo, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $13,172 | 193 | $26,454 |
| Automeca Technical College-Ponce Ponce, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $13,908 | 64 | — |
| NUC University Bayamon, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $19,031 | 37 | $40,022 |
| Automeca Technical College-Caguas Caguas, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $15,109 | 35 | — |
| Mech-Tech College Caguas, PR · Private for-profit | Associate degree | $20,396 | 31 | $28,570 |
| Automeca Technical College-Aguadilla Aguadilla, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $14,241 | 21 | — |
| Automeca Technical College-Bayamon Bayamon, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $14,414 | 16 | — |
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 Puerto Rico Official source
Check with local authorities in Puerto Rico. Check with the building or licensing office where you plan to work.
Requirements for machinists vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Cities in Puerto Rico
All trades in Puerto Rico.