Precision Metal Working programs in Washington
46 schools in Washington teach this, at certificate or associate level. 9 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $39,369 at Skagit Valley College.
What this work pays in Washington
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Washington earn a median of $63,020 a year across 7,720 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 Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Machinists | $66,160 | 6,880 |
| Sheet Metal Workers | $98,550 | 3,440 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators | $107,920 | 2,270 |
| Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, & Tenders, Metal & Plastic | $49,300 | 1,870 |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $51,160 | 1,750 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon | Associate's degree | — | $39,369 (11 grads) | 11 |
| Lake Washington Institute of Technology Kirkland | Associate's degree | — | $38,289 (27 grads) | 17 |
| Bellingham Technical College Bellingham | Associate's degree | — | $36,848 (50 grads) | 33 |
| Olympic College Bremerton | Associate's degree | — | $36,668 (21 grads) | 15 |
| Clark College Vancouver | Associate's degree | — | $34,704 (24 grads) | 8 |
| Lower Columbia College Longview | Associate's degree | — | $34,704 (14 grads) | 10 |
| Perry Technical Institute Yakima | Undergraduate certificate | $7,892 | $33,993 (63 grads) | 31 |
| Peninsula College Port Angeles | Associate's degree | — | $23,649 (13 grads) | 15 |
| Everett Community College Everett | Associate's degree | — | $22,667 (17 grads) | 24 |
| Clover Park Technical College Lakewood | Associate's degree | — | not published | 24 |
| Spokane Community College Spokane | Undergraduate certificate | $9,102 | not published | 49 |
| Spokane Community College Spokane | Associate's degree | — | not published | 13 |
| Bates Technical College Tacoma | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 13 |
| Bates Technical College Tacoma | Associate's degree | — | not published | 16 |
| Bellingham Technical College Bellingham | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 38 |
| Big Bend Community College Moses Lake | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Big Bend Community College Moses Lake | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Centralia College Centralia | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Centralia College Centralia | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Clark College Vancouver | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 15 |
| Clover Park Technical College Lakewood | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 102 |
| Columbia Basin College Pasco | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
| Columbia Basin College Pasco | Associate's degree | — | not published | 15 |
| Edmonds College Lynnwood | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Everett Community College Everett | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 87 |
| Grays Harbor College Aberdeen | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 24 |
| Grays Harbor College Aberdeen | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Green River College Auburn | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 9 |
| Green River College Auburn | Associate's degree | — | not published | 25 |
| Lake Washington Institute of Technology Kirkland | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 49 |
| Lower Columbia College Longview | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Olympic College Bremerton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 47 |
| Peninsula College Port Angeles | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 33 |
| Renton Technical College Renton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 28 |
| Renton Technical College Renton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
| Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| South Puget Sound Community College Olympia | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 65 |
| South Puget Sound Community College Olympia | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
| South Seattle College Seattle | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| South Seattle College Seattle | Associate's degree | — | not published | 17 |
| Walla Walla Community College Walla Walla | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 25 |
| Walla Walla Community College Walla Walla | Associate's degree | — | not published | 16 |
| Wenatchee Valley College Wenatchee | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Wenatchee Valley College Wenatchee | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Yakima Valley College Yakima | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Yakima Valley College Yakima | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
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.