What You Need to Know About Millwright
Career Description Install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to layout plans, blueprints, or other drawings.
What Do Millwrights Do On a Daily Basis?
- Lay out mounting holes, using measuring instruments, and drill holes with power drill.
- Replace defective parts of machine or adjust clearances and alignment of moving parts.
- Fabricate and dismantle parts, equipment, and machines, using a cutting torch or other cutting equipment.
- Operate engine lathe to grind, file, and turn machine parts to dimensional specifications.
- Move machinery and equipment, using hoists, dollies, rollers, and trucks.
- Dismantle machinery and equipment for shipment to installation site, usually performing installation and maintenance work as part of team.
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What a Millwright Should Know
When polled, Millwrights say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Installation: Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Other Millwright Job Titles
- Millwright Business Representative
- Mechanical Superintendent
- Gear Repairer
- Machinery Rigger
- Machine Rigger
Millwright Job Outlook
There were about 39,500 jobs for Millwright in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 9.9% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 3,900 new jobs for Millwright by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 4,000 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Millwright are Utah, Hawaii, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Vermont, or New Mexico. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Millwright Average Salary
The typical yearly salary for Millwrights is somewhere between $34,090 and $80,660.

Millwrights who work in New Mexico, New Jersey, or California, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Millwrights in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $46,500 |
Alaska | $61,300 |
Arizona | $61,360 |
Arkansas | $42,080 |
California | $71,350 |
Colorado | $53,510 |
Connecticut | $60,340 |
Delaware | $55,120 |
Florida | $48,250 |
Georgia | $45,440 |
Idaho | $57,360 |
Illinois | $63,260 |
Indiana | $54,240 |
Iowa | $51,220 |
Kansas | $50,200 |
Kentucky | $51,910 |
Louisiana | $58,380 |
Maine | $49,470 |
Maryland | $59,950 |
Massachusetts | $59,590 |
Michigan | $63,090 |
Minnesota | $52,890 |
Mississippi | $43,330 |
Missouri | $55,210 |
Montana | $44,300 |
Nebraska | $53,480 |
Nevada | $62,390 |
New Hampshire | $54,970 |
New Jersey | $67,860 |
New Mexico | $72,040 |
New York | $65,060 |
North Carolina | $47,670 |
North Dakota | $52,750 |
Ohio | $57,340 |
Oklahoma | $51,020 |
Oregon | $59,990 |
Pennsylvania | $57,000 |
South Carolina | $47,360 |
South Dakota | $54,690 |
Tennessee | $48,530 |
Texas | $52,850 |
Utah | $63,940 |
Vermont | $50,920 |
Virginia | $51,640 |
Washington | $63,120 |
West Virginia | $51,340 |
Wisconsin | $63,670 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Millwrights
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Millwrights may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- SAP
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS
How do I Become a Millwright?
What education is needed to be a Millwright?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where do Millwrights Work?

The table below shows the approximate number of Millwrights employed by various industries.

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those thinking about becoming a Millwright might also be interested in the following careers:
References:
Image Credit: Margo Wright via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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