Millwrights
Also called Maintenance Millwright, Millwright, Millwright Foreman, or Millwright Instructor
Updated · Source: O*NET 31.0
What Millwrights do
Millwrights move, install, and align the huge machines that factories and power plants run on, and line them up to very exact measurements.
A millwright puts heavy machinery where it belongs and makes sure it sits perfectly straight. You read layout plans and blueprints (drawings that show exactly where each machine and bolt goes), then lift the equipment into place with hoists and jacks (lifting gear that raises heavy loads a little at a time), bolt or weld it down, and fine-tune it with shims (thin metal strips used to nudge a part into perfect position). When machines wear out, you take them apart, replace parts, lubricate them, and put them back together.
The work mixes brute force with fussy precision. You might move a machine the size of a car with rollers and a crane, then spend an hour with a laser and a micrometer (a tool that measures very small gaps very precisely) getting the alignment right. Getting it wrong means the machine shakes itself apart.
A day in the life
You arrive in steel-toed boots, hard hat, and eye protection, and check the plan for the day with your crew. Much of the time you work shoulder to shoulder with other skilled workers such as electricians and welders, talking through how to get a heavy unit into a tight space. You hand-signal a crane operator as an assembly comes down onto its base, then switch to levels and a straightedge to find the centerline (the exact middle line the machine has to sit on). Later you are on your knees, sliding shims under a mount and checking clearances (the small gaps between moving and fixed parts). Some jobs are inside a plant with no air conditioning; others are outdoors in whatever weather shows up. A shutdown, when a factory stops production so machines can be worked on, runs on a tight schedule.
This could fit you if you…
- ✓Like solving a physical puzzle with tools in your hands
- ✓Can be patient about precision measurements after heavy lifting
- ✓Work well on a crew where clear signals keep people safe
- ✓Enjoy math and mechanics more than sitting at a desk
- ✓Want to learn a trade without a four-year degree
You might not like it if you…
- –Want a climate-controlled office and a predictable schedule
- –Dislike standing, kneeling, and lifting for most of your shift
- –Get rattled working near cranes, welding, and moving machinery
- –Need work that never runs on a tight repair deadline
How people get in
- 1Finish high school or an equivalent credential, and take shop, welding, and math classes if your school offers them.
- 2Get comfortable with hand and power tools on your own projects so you arrive knowing which end of a wrench to hold.
- 3Apply for an apprenticeship, which is how most millwrights train: you work for pay alongside experienced millwrights while taking related classes.
- 4Consider a program in industrial mechanics and maintenance technology, which can strengthen an application or add skills like blueprint reading.
- 5Build up safety habits and any welding, forklift, or rigging training (rigging is safely attaching and lifting heavy loads with cranes and slings) your employer or program offers.
- 6Finish your apprenticeship, then keep learning; experienced millwrights often move into crew leader or instructor roles.
Who tends to enjoy it
Hands-on
People who like building, fixing, working with tools, machines, plants, or animals.
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Curious
People who like figuring things out, research, science, and solving problems.
Official task list
Millwrights install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to layout plans, blueprints, or other drawings. (O*NET)
- 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.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Installation
- Equipment Maintenance
- Troubleshooting
- Critical Thinking
- Operations Monitoring
- Repairing
What you'll need to know
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Building and Construction
- Education and Training
- Engineering and Technology
How much Millwrights make
The median pay for Millwrights in the U.S. is $65,700 a year ($31.59 an hour). Most earn between $46,290 and $93,600. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025)
Pay depends a lot on where you live: the median is highest in New Jersey ($107,540) and lowest in Oklahoma ($50,950).
Pay by state and territory
| State | Median pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $61,410 | 1,400 |
| Alaska | $76,940 | 300 |
| Arizona | $57,380 | 450 |
| Arkansas | $56,310 | 1,140 |
| California | $77,950 | 2,230 |
| Colorado | $81,440 | 200 |
| Connecticut | $76,810 | 110 |
| Delaware | $58,770 | 90 |
| Florida | $62,000 | 530 |
| Georgia | $62,760 | 1,780 |
| Idaho | $64,710 | 410 |
| Illinois | $66,640 | 2,160 |
| Indiana | $77,140 | 1,760 |
| Iowa | $62,220 | 690 |
| Kansas | $79,690 | 840 |
| Kentucky | $70,610 | 1,220 |
| Louisiana | $66,080 | 1,080 |
| Maine | $68,220 | 350 |
| Maryland | $59,220 | 160 |
| Massachusetts | $65,220 | — |
| Michigan | $89,190 | 2,900 |
| Minnesota | $78,570 | 480 |
| Mississippi | $58,280 | 1,280 |
| Missouri | $66,480 | 830 |
| Montana | $60,050 | 70 |
| Nebraska | $60,320 | 590 |
| Nevada | $63,040 | 150 |
| New Hampshire | $76,190 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $107,540 | 340 |
| New Mexico | $90,230 | 60 |
| New York | $79,560 | 1,000 |
| North Carolina | $62,990 | 700 |
| North Dakota | $60,750 | 170 |
| Ohio | $73,220 | 1,930 |
| Oklahoma | $50,950 | 510 |
| Oregon | $70,700 | 460 |
| Pennsylvania | $64,410 | 1,700 |
| South Carolina | $61,700 | 950 |
| South Dakota | $61,820 | 240 |
| Tennessee | $61,810 | 1,060 |
| Texas | $62,630 | 3,540 |
| Utah | $63,040 | 220 |
| Vermont | $64,180 | 60 |
| Virginia | $51,430 | 690 |
| Washington | $76,490 | 1,020 |
| West Virginia | $67,270 | 330 |
| Wisconsin | $82,630 | 1,220 |
| Wyoming | $62,780 | 130 |
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
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Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 49-9044.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), SOC 49-9044. Outlook and entry education: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.