Mark the mounting holes
From the layout drawing, measure the base and mark mounting holes before installation so the machine sits right.
Career profile
Millwright
Millwrights install, move, and precisely align heavy equipment in industrial plants.
Some days you help set a machine down on its foundation. Then you make tiny adjustments until its moving parts sit in line.
A day in the life
Signal the crane operator
Signal the crane operator to lower equipment safely onto its base, though some moves use rollers or hoists.
Line up two shafts
Measure shaft alignment, and if it's outside tolerance, change shims (thin spacers), shift the machine, and recheck.
Swap worn parts and test
Remove worn components with hand tools, fit new parts, reassemble, then test to confirm the fix.
Quick facts
High school + apprenticeship
United States · 2025
$65,700/year
United States · May 2025
Little employment change
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school + apprenticeshipA diploma or equivalent is the usual starting point; apprenticeship develops the trade skills.
Pay
$65,700/yearNational median for millwrights, equivalent to $31.59 an hour.
Outlook
Little employment changeProjected growth of 0.9%, with about 3,200 openings a year nationwide.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like turning a drawing into something that fits together.
- You can stay patient through several rounds of measuring and adjusting.
- You want hands-on work that requires close coordination with other trades.
Things to weigh
- Noise, kneeling, and awkward reaches can wear on you. Protective equipment and attention to nearby coworkers are part of the work.
- Traveling installation jobs can mean long days, weekend work, and stretches away from home.
Where AI may help
Digital alignment tools can calculate how far to move a machine and generate a report of the measurements.
What people still lead
You still set up the measurement, make physical adjustments, and recheck the result after tightening the machine down.
What we can’t predict yet
How much of that adjustment work can become automatic remains uncertain, especially when machines have uneven supports or change shape as they warm up.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median was $65,700 a year, or $31.59 an hour, in May 2025. That is the midpoint across millwrights, not a starting salary.
The national spread
The lowest-paid 10% earned $46,290 or less; the highest-paid 10% earned $93,600 or more. These are wage percentiles, not beginner and experienced pay steps.
Workplace type can matter
In May 2023, millwrights averaged $64,930 in building equipment contracting and $78,370 in motor vehicle manufacturing. These historical industry averages show differences between settings; they are not current offers.
Openings despite slow growth
Employment is projected to grow 0.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,200 openings annually. With so little net growth, most openings reflect replacing people who leave the occupation.
Getting started
Learn while working as an apprentice
Usually three or four years.Paid
- What the route involves
- Combine paid work alongside experienced millwrights with classes in drawings, welding, math, and troubleshooting.
- What it can lead to
- Completing the apprenticeship establishes full trade qualification and usually lets you handle tasks with less guidance.
- What to check
- Basic entry qualifications generally include being 18, having a diploma or equivalent, and being able to perform the work. Check the sponsor's selection requirements.
Build skills in a technical college
The Elizabethton program typically takes 12 months of full-time daytime study.
- What the route involves
- At Tennessee College of Applied Technology Elizabethton, combine classroom work with shop practice in installation, alignment, welding, and machinery maintenance.
- What it can lead to
- Complete the millwright diploma and develop practical preparation for construction and maintenance employment.
- What to check
- This is school preparation, not completion of a paid apprenticeship. Check admissions, total costs, and how employers use the diploma before enrolling.
Plan around a high school diploma or equivalent. Apprenticeship is the usual route; a school program can also build practical skills before employment.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Connect your drawing-reading and tool lessons to real machine setup and repair tasks.
Develop precision
Learn to work out alignment corrections and recognize when uneven machine supports or temperature changes affect your measurements.
Specialize in turbines
Build toward steam-turbine work through additional training in turbine equipment, rigging, controlled bolt tightening, and safety.
Where you can work
Automation installation crews
Install conveyors, robots, and custom machinery at customer sites with engineers, electricians, and automation technicians. Traveling roles can alternate shop work with extended site visits.
- Indoors
- Field work
- Travel
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Power-plant outage crews
Overhaul pumps and turbines during plant outages. Work packages and technical procedures organize the job; traveling crews may move between projects with changing schedules.
- Field work
- Travel
- Shift work
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Draw a machine layout on paper, then use two small cardboard boxes as a motor and pump. Mark their centerlines, position them to match the drawing, and use paper spacers to bring the marks to the same height. Notice whether you enjoy checking and correcting the fit.
Stay safe: Keep this a tabletop model with lightweight objects; do not move or adjust real machinery.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 49-9044.00 — Millwrights. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: Millwrights. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Table 1.2 Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates — Millwrights. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Industrial Machinery Mechanics, Machinery Maintenance Workers, and Millwrights. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Tennessee College of Applied Technology Elizabethton. Millwright Skills. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Carpenters International Training Fund. Machinery Alignment Procedures Train the Trainer. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- SKF. Shaft Alignment Tool — Horizontal machines app: Instructions for use. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Carpenters International Training Fund. Steam Turbine Qualification. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- OTC Industrial Technologies. Traveling Millwright — Greenwood, Indiana. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- The Nuclear Company. Traveling Mechanical / Rotating Equipment / Millwright. Accessed 2026-10-03.