Precision Metal Working programs in Minnesota
34 schools in Minnesota teach this, at certificate or associate level. 20 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $58,221 at Hennepin Technical College.
What this work pays in Minnesota
Machinists in Minnesota earn a median of $61,140 a year across 12,500 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | $60,280 | 9,270 |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $49,770 | 6,130 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators | $56,780 | 4,290 |
| Sheet Metal Workers | $72,970 | 2,980 |
| Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $48,980 | 2,540 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park | Associate's degree | — | $58,221 (18 grads) | 24 |
| Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis | Associate's degree | — | $55,512 (12 grads) | 10 |
| Anoka Technical College Anoka | Associate's degree | — | $52,941 (12 grads) | 18 |
| Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis | Associate's degree | $12,000 | $50,320 (38 grads) | 29 |
| Alexandria Technical & Community College Alexandria | Undergraduate certificate | $5,500 | $46,018 (87 grads) | 47 |
| Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park | Undergraduate certificate | — | $45,696 (47 grads) | 97 |
| St Cloud Technical and Community College Saint Cloud | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $45,696 (41 grads) | 25 |
| Central Lakes College-Brainerd Brainerd | Undergraduate certificate | $5,500 | $44,468 (43 grads) | 31 |
| Saint Paul College Saint Paul | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $44,294 (94 grads) | 77 |
| Central Lakes College-Brainerd Brainerd | Associate's degree | — | $44,021 (24 grads) | 10 |
| Anoka Technical College Anoka | Undergraduate certificate | $7,145 | $42,682 (40 grads) | 179 |
| Ridgewater College Willmar | Undergraduate certificate | $9,750 | $42,363 (28 grads) | 25 |
| Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis | Undergraduate certificate | $5,500 | $41,308 (73 grads) | 18 |
| Saint Paul College Saint Paul | Associate's degree | — | $41,193 (12 grads) | 2 |
| South Central College North Mankato | Undergraduate certificate | $3,332 | $41,193 (35 grads) | 41 |
| South Central College North Mankato | Associate's degree | — | $41,193 (16 grads) | 11 |
| Minnesota State College Southeast Winona | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $39,009 (22 grads) | 22 |
| Dakota County Technical College Rosemount | Undergraduate certificate | $5,500 | $38,829 (62 grads) | 58 |
| Lake Superior College Duluth | Undergraduate certificate | $11,000 | $34,704 (23 grads) | 14 |
| Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester | Undergraduate certificate | — | $34,704 (28 grads) | 19 |
| Century College White Bear Lake | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 27 |
| Lake Superior College Duluth | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Minnesota North College Hibbing | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 41 |
| Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Minnesota West Community and Technical College Granite Falls | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 39 |
| Minnesota West Community and Technical College Granite Falls | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Northland Community and Technical College Thief River Falls | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 14 |
| Northwest Technical College Bemidji | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Pine Technical & Community College Pine City | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Pine Technical & Community College Pine City | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Ridgewater College Willmar | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Riverland Community College Austin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 22 |
| St Cloud Technical and Community College Saint Cloud | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Precision Metal Working — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.