Other Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations

How to become a Millwrights

Also called: Maintenance Mechanic, Maintenance Millwright, Millwright, Millwright Business Representative (Millwright Business Rep), Millwright Foreman, Millwright General Foreman, Millwright Instructor, Precision Millwright

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

Main tasks

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.

How to become one

Industrial machinery mechanics, machinery maintenance workers, and millwrights typically need a high school diploma. Industrial machinery mechanics and machinery maintenance workers also usually need at least a year of on-the-job training. Most millwrights go through an apprenticeship program that may last up to 4 years.

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Automated Equipment Engineer-Tech. BLS lists an apprenticeship as the typical training for this occupation.
Apprenticeship: Machine Erector. BLS lists an apprenticeship as the typical training for this occupation.
Apprenticeship: Millwright. BLS lists an apprenticeship as the typical training for this occupation.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $65,700 a year The middle half earn $56,390 to $81,500.
About 40,700 people work in this job now, and about 41,000 are projected by 2035. (+0.9%)
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Millwrights?

How much does a Millwrights earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $65,700 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $56,390 to $81,500.

Is a Millwrights a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 40,700 people now and 41,000 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Millwrights?

Usually not. Only 5% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Automated Equipment Engineer-Tech.

Will AI change the work of a Millwrights?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.