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Millwrights

ManufacturingO*NET 49-9044.00United States

Install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to layout plans, blueprints, or other drawings.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$65,640

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+2.9%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
High school diploma or less

50% of the workforce

Employment
42.62K jobs

Growing to 43.86K by 2035

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What millwrights do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Replace defective parts of machine, or adjust clearances and alignment of moving parts.
  • Align machines or equipment, using hoists, jacks, hand tools, squares, rules, micrometers, lasers, or plumb bobs.
  • Insert shims, adjust tension on nuts and bolts, or position parts, using hand tools and measuring instruments, to set specified clearances between moving and stationary parts.
  • Signal crane operator to lower basic assembly units to bedplate, and align unit to centerline.
  • Conduct preventative maintenance and repair, and lubricate machines and equipment.
  • Assemble and install equipment, using hand tools and power tools.
  • Assemble machines, and bolt, weld, rivet, or otherwise fasten them to foundation or other structures, using hand tools and power tools.
  • Move machinery and equipment, using hoists, dollies, rollers, and trucks.
  • Level bedplate and establish centerline, using straightedge, levels, and transit.
  • Dismantle machines, using hammers, wrenches, crowbars, and other hand tools.
  • Bolt parts, such as side and deck plates, jaw plates, and journals, to basic assembly unit.
  • Lay out mounting holes, using measuring instruments, and drill holes with power drill.
  • Attach moving parts and subassemblies to basic assembly unit, using hand tools and power tools.
  • Weld, repair, and fabricate equipment or machinery.
  • Shrink-fit bushings, sleeves, rings, liners, gears, and wheels to specified items, using portable gas heating equipment.
  • Troubleshoot equipment, electrical components, hydraulics, or other mechanical systems.
  • Dismantle machinery and equipment for shipment to installation site, performing installation and maintenance work as part of team.
  • Connect power unit to machines or steam piping to equipment, and test unit to evaluate its mechanical operation.
  • Position steel beams to support bedplates of machines and equipment, using blueprints and schematic drawings to determine work procedures.
  • Fabricate and dismantle parts, equipment, and machines, using a cutting torch or other cutting equipment.
  • Construct foundation for machines, using hand tools and building materials such as wood, cement, and steel.
  • Operate engine lathe to grind, file, and turn machine parts to dimensional specifications.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$46,027
25th percentile
$56,194
50th percentile
$65,640
75th percentile
$81,454
90th percentile
$93,601

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $65,640 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+2.9%average or slower
202542,623 jobs
2035 projected43,857 jobs

1,234 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less
50%
Certificate
36.4%
Some college
9.1%
Associate degree
4.6%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Machinery
  • Hand Tools
  • Power Tool Operation
  • Welding
  • Blueprinting
  • Hydraulics
  • Preventive Maintenance
  • Lifting Ability
  • Industrial Repair And Maintenance
  • Fabrication
  • Mechanical Aptitude
  • Industrial Equipment
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Hoisting
  • Forklift Truck
  • Working at Heights
  • Mechanical Systems
  • Safety Procedures
  • Construction
  • Micrometer

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Equipment Maintenance
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Installation
Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
Repairing
Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Millwrights3,084 postings
  2. 02Industrial Maintenance Technicians829 postings
  3. 03Maintenance Workers540 postings
  4. 04Industrial Millwrights485 postings
  5. 05Journeyman Millwrights470 postings
  6. 06Millwright Mechanics391 postings
  7. 07Maintenance Millwrights357 postings
  8. 08Mechanics288 postings
  9. 09Electromechanical Technicians287 postings
  10. 10Maintenance Technicians/Millwrights262 postings
  11. 11Millwright Foremen234 postings
  12. 12Millwrights/Maintenance Mechanics204 postings
  13. 13Millwrights/Welders197 postings
  14. 14Installation Technicians174 postings
  15. 15Equipment Maintenance Technicians169 postings
  16. 16Industrial Technicians162 postings
  17. 17Equipment Operators149 postings
  18. 18Field Technicians142 postings
  19. 19Technicians140 postings
  20. 20Industrial Mechanics/Millwrights139 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Aerotek834 postings
  2. 02Cargill198 postings
  3. 03Trillium Staffing173 postings
  4. 04West Fraser Timber164 postings
  5. 05Tradesmen International162 postings
  6. 06D7 Pneumatics148 postings
  7. 07Heidelberg Materials141 postings
  8. 08Austin Industrial127 postings
  9. 09TIC - The Industrial Company122 postings
  10. 10Sierra Pacific Industries112 postings
  11. 11General Motors111 postings
  12. 12CRH plc108 postings
  13. 13Georgia-Pacific105 postings
  14. 14Hth Companies102 postings
  15. 15Rain For Rent92 postings
  16. 16Ford88 postings
  17. 17Martin Marietta86 postings
  18. 18GPAC79 postings
  19. 19Koch Capabilities79 postings
  20. 20The Brock Group78 postings

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