Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
Also called: Grinder, Grinder Operator, Saw Filer, Tool GrinderPerform precision smoothing, sharpening, polishing, or grinding of metal objects.
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What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 18 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 6.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.5% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other metal workers and plastic workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 69% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $41,720 | $34,950 to $50,740 | 220 |
| Arkansas | $38,410 | $32,620 to $61,720 | 160 |
| California | $51,300 | $43,710 to $61,520 | 620 |
| Colorado | $33,970 | $33,350 to $35,870 | not published |
| Connecticut | $39,710 | $35,970 to $68,700 | 130 |
| Florida | $36,880 | $34,650 to $44,420 | 120 |
| Georgia | $46,800 | $38,650 to $61,140 | 240 |
| Idaho | $59,250 | $50,200 to $75,270 | 100 |
| Indiana | $48,700 | $43,050 to $58,270 | 110 |
| Iowa | $51,760 | $45,120 to $71,560 | 60 |
| Kansas | $54,100 | $54,050 to $55,130 | not published |
| Kentucky | $44,170 | $44,170 to $60,400 | 50 |
| Louisiana | $56,380 | $46,890 to $60,610 | 40 |
| Maine | $46,750 | $37,780 to $62,250 | 60 |
| Massachusetts | $56,600 | $49,430 to $56,600 | 40 |
| Michigan | $43,470 | $43,470 to $55,270 | 260 |
| Minnesota | $51,990 | $39,220 to $62,820 | 90 |
| Mississippi | $55,510 | $41,870 to $60,130 | 50 |
| Missouri | $52,540 | $51,310 to $61,550 | 150 |
| Montana | $49,560 | $42,850 to $53,340 | not published |
| Nebraska | $47,360 | $46,890 to $50,000 | 40 |
| New Hampshire | $46,380 | $43,330 to $57,280 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $49,470 | $47,380 to $55,840 | not published |
| New York | $47,070 | $39,530 to $51,240 | 170 |
| North Carolina | $45,790 | $38,440 to $55,450 | 160 |
| Ohio | $56,690 | $48,580 to $68,360 | 190 |
| Oklahoma | $45,600 | $38,110 to $54,120 | 60 |
| Oregon | $60,760 | $50,070 to $75,450 | 430 |
| Pennsylvania | $39,550 | $31,900 to $49,480 | 170 |
| South Carolina | $50,220 | $42,410 to $59,180 | 80 |
| Tennessee | $36,920 | $25,600 to $48,880 | 200 |
| Texas | $46,000 | $38,100 to $62,350 | 530 |
| Virginia | $38,370 | $29,870 to $61,160 | 80 |
| Washington | $75,190 | $61,270 to $84,210 | 410 |
| Wisconsin | $51,240 | $43,380 to $52,260 | 110 |
Nationally: $50,060. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on none of its 18 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Monitor machine operations to determine whether adjustments are necessary, stopping machines when problems occur. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect, feel, and measure workpieces to ensure that surfaces and dimensions meet specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up and operate grinding or polishing machines to grind metal workpieces, such as dies, parts, and tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform basic maintenance, such as cleaning and lubricating machine parts. | Not published |
| Not much | Select and mount grinding wheels on machines, according to specifications, using hand tools and applying knowledge of abrasives and grinding procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Dress grinding wheels, according to specifications. | Not published |
See all 18 tasks
| Not much | Remove finished workpieces from machines and place them in boxes or on racks, setting aside pieces that are defective. | Not published |
| Not much | Study blueprints or layouts of metal workpieces to determine grinding procedures, and to plan machine setups and operational sequences. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect dies to detect defects, assess wear, and verify specifications, using micrometers, steel gauge pins, and loupes. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove and replace worn or broken machine parts, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Compute numbers, widths, and angles of cutting tools, micrometers, scales, and gauges, and adjust tools to produce specified cuts. | Not published |
| Not much | File or finish surfaces of workpieces, using prescribed hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Fit parts together in pre-assembly to ensure that dimensions are accurate. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn valves to direct flow of coolant against cutting wheels and workpieces during grinding. | Not published |
| Not much | Straighten workpieces and remove dents, using straightening presses and hammers. | Not published |
| Not much | Attach workpieces to grinding machines and form specified sections and repair cracks, using welding or brazing equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Place workpieces in electroplating solutions or apply pigments to surfaces of workpieces to highlight ridges and grooves. | Not published |
| Not much | Duplicate workpiece contours, using tracer attachments. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 18 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 18 tasks fall under 22 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Operate cutting or grinding equipment | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Determine resource needs of projects or operations |
Show all 22 activities
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Shape materials to create products | |||
| Disassemble equipment | |||
| Assemble equipment or components | |||
| Repair tools or equipment | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment | |||
| Package objects | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques | |||
| Remove workpieces from production equipment |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 948 moves out
- 1 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 10%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 8%
- 4 Purchasing Managers Very high +4.0% 5%
- 5 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 1,164 moves in
- 1 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 8%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 6%
- 4 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 5%
- 5 Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors Moderate +7.3% 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 14% less than high school
- 52% high school
- 21% some college
- 8% associate's
- 4% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other metal workers and plastic workers” · 3,391 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other metal workers and plastic workers”
1 program: Machine Shop Technology/Assistant.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
31.2% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | not published | |
| a certification | not published | |
| an educational certificate | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 8 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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