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Tool Maker Salary in the United States

How much does a Tool Maker make in the United States?

As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a Tool Maker in the United States is $72,145 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $35.

However, a Tool Maker's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $81,593
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $64,822 to $77,091
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $58,155
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Tool Maker Salaries

A Tool Maker's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Tool Maker Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Tool Maker's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $49,445
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $64,029
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $71,782
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $80,166
  • Expert (over 8 years): $85,140
Levels Salary
Tool and ... Level Tool Maker$49,445
Tool and ... Level Tool Maker$64,029
Tool Make... Level Tool Maker$71,782
Tool and ... Level Tool Maker$80,166
Tool, Die... Level Tool Maker$85,140
View as Graph

How Do Tool Maker Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Tool Makers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $79,879.
  • California: $79,576.
  • Massachusetts: $78,516.

Top Paying Cities for Tool Makers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $90,997
  • San Francisco: $90,001
  • Oakland: $88,104

What Skills Can Increase a Tool Maker's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Troubleshooting (Mentioned in 6.38% Job Postings): Troubleshooting is a form of problem solving, often applied to repair failed products or processes on a machine or a system. It is a logical, systematic search for the source of a problem in order to solve it, and make the product or process operational again. Troubleshooting is needed to identify the symptoms. Determining the most likely cause is a process of elimination—eliminating potential causes of a problem. Finally, troubleshooting requires confirmation that the solution restores the product or process to its working state. In general, troubleshooting is the identification or diagnosis of "trouble" in the management flow of a system caused by a failure of some kind. The problem is initially described as symptoms of malfunction, and troubleshooting is the process of determining and remedying the causes of these symptoms. A system can be described in terms of its expected, desired or intended behavior (usually, for artificial systems, its purpose). Events or inputs to the system are expected to generate specific results or outputs. (For example, selecting the "print" option from various computer applications is intended to result in a hardcopy emerging from some specific device). Any unexpected or undesirable behavior is a symptom. Troubleshooting is the process of isolating the specific cause or causes of the symptom. Frequently the symptom is a failure of the product or process to produce any results. (Nothing was printed, for example). Corrective action can then be taken to prevent further failures of a similar kind.
  • CAD (Mentioned in 3.1% Job Postings): Computer-aided design is the use of computers to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer
  • Production Support (Mentioned in 1.96% Job Postings): Production support covers the practices and disciplines of supporting the IT systems/applications which are currently being used by the end users. A production support person/team is responsible for receiving incidents and requests from end-users, analyzing these and either responding to the end user with a solution or escalating it to the other IT teams. These teams may include developers, system engineers and database administrators.
Skills Demand Percentage
Troubleshooting 6.38%
CAD 3.1%
Production Support 1.96%
See More Skills

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Tool Maker's salary.

  • Prioritization: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
  • AutoCAD: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
  • Leadership: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Prioritization $77,196
7%
AutoCAD $74,310
3%
Leadership $74,310
3%
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Tool Maker Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Tool Maker roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 50% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Pharmaceuticals and Energy & Utilities sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 30% above the average. In contrast, Tool Maker positions in Retail & Wholesale or Transportation typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Tool Maker as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Tool Maker

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Pharmaceuticals$93,789$45.030%
Energy & Utilities$86,574$42.020%
Financial Services$82,967$40.015%
Biotechnology$79,360$38.010%
Aerospace & Defense$75,753$36.05%

How Education impacts a Tool Maker's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Tool Makers enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Tool Maker with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $67,781 and $72,543).

Tool Maker Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Tool Maker
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 50.0%
High School 50.0%
Associates 28.6%
Bachelors 21.4%
Masters 0.0%
Doctorate 0.0%
View as Graph

Tool Maker Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Tool Maker's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on October 01, 2026
$64,822
Average $72,145/year
$77,091
$5,402
Average $6,012/month
$6,424
$1,247
Average $1,387/week
$1,483
$31
Average $35/hour
$37
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $77,091 $6,424 $1,483 $37
Average $72,145 $6,012 $1,387 $35
25th Percentile $64,822 $5,402 $1,247 $31

Most common benefits for Tool Maker

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Tool Maker

Here are companies hiring for Tool Maker and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Tool Maker

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Tool Maker?

The Pharmaceuticals industry offers the highest average compensation for Tool Maker roles, with salaries approximately 30% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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