Etchers and Engravers
Also called: Chemical Engraver, Engraver, Etcher, Photo EngraverEngrave or etch metal, wood, rubber, or other materials. Includes such workers as etcher-circuit processors, pantograph engravers, and silk screen etchers.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 26 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 0.7% 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, 0.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 55% 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 | $31,030 | $28,140 to $40,800 | 60 |
| Arizona | $59,940 | $38,240 to $64,630 | not published |
| Arkansas | $46,780 | $43,320 to $53,050 | 180 |
| California | $46,480 | $41,260 to $59,140 | 1,040 |
| Colorado | $40,800 | $37,940 to $56,160 | 50 |
| Connecticut | $45,050 | $42,980 to $52,080 | 140 |
| Florida | $42,110 | $35,920 to $48,770 | 200 |
| Georgia | $40,190 | $35,420 to $53,000 | 60 |
| Idaho | $42,640 | $33,900 to $45,630 | 50 |
| Illinois | $43,450 | $37,580 to $50,060 | 330 |
| Indiana | $44,360 | $31,400 to $48,750 | 170 |
| Iowa | $42,950 | $42,210 to $47,540 | 70 |
| Kansas | $52,000 | $29,810 to $52,000 | 40 |
| Kentucky | $36,540 | $33,360 to $36,960 | 250 |
| Louisiana | $32,880 | $30,630 to $36,400 | 40 |
| Maine | $47,520 | $37,570 to $55,500 | 70 |
| Maryland | $53,680 | $44,370 to $57,770 | 110 |
| Massachusetts | $50,710 | $45,290 to $58,620 | 320 |
| Michigan | $43,180 | $38,870 to $47,840 | 390 |
| Minnesota | $46,280 | $36,070 to $53,240 | 210 |
| Missouri | $37,990 | $36,320 to $40,360 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $58,000 | $53,330 to $69,220 | 60 |
| New York | $51,540 | $37,740 to $60,520 | 520 |
| North Carolina | $39,270 | $36,400 to $47,420 | not published |
| Ohio | $50,430 | $39,260 to $64,060 | 320 |
| Oklahoma | $35,890 | $34,220 to $40,370 | 110 |
| Oregon | $37,780 | $36,310 to $37,780 | 220 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,790 | $40,590 to $52,980 | 260 |
| Rhode Island | $63,250 | $52,740 to $64,780 | 30 |
| South Carolina | $28,300 | $21,650 to $48,270 | 50 |
| South Dakota | $40,590 | $32,700 to $51,540 | 60 |
| Tennessee | $38,230 | $36,300 to $44,530 | 300 |
| Texas | $31,180 | $21,470 to $38,900 | 630 |
| Vermont | $65,380 | $39,070 to $69,670 | 40 |
| Virginia | $39,360 | $35,430 to $42,910 | 160 |
| Washington | $43,680 | $40,670 to $58,020 | 160 |
| Wisconsin | $50,290 | $43,800 to $61,520 | 390 |
Nationally: $43,310. 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 2 of its 26 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Inspect etched work for depth of etching, uniformity, and defects, using calibrated microscopes, gauges, fingers, or magnifying lenses. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine sketches, diagrams, samples, blueprints, or photographs to decide how designs are to be etched, cut, or engraved onto workpieces. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine engraving for quality of cut, burrs, rough spots, and irregular or incomplete engraving. | Not published |
| Not much | Print proofs or examine designs to verify accuracy of engraving, and rework engraving as required. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure and compute dimensions of lettering, designs, or patterns to be engraved. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and polish engraved areas. | Not published |
See all 26 tasks
| Not much | Engrave and print patterns, designs, etchings, trademarks, or lettering onto flat or curved surfaces of a wide variety of metal, glass, plastic, or paper items, using hand tools or hand-held power tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare workpieces for etching or engraving by cutting, sanding, cleaning, polishing, or treating them with wax, acid resist, lime, etching powder, or light-sensitive enamel. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove completed workpieces and place them in trays. | Not published |
| AI + software | Use computer software to design patterns for engraving. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine machine settings, and move bars or levers to reproduce designs on rollers or plates. | Not published |
| Not much | Expose workpieces to acid to develop etch patterns such as designs, lettering, or figures. | Not published |
| Not much | Position and clamp workpieces, plates, or rollers in holding fixtures. | Not published |
| Not much | Start machines and lower cutting tools to beginning points on patterns. | Not published |
| Not much | Transfer image to workpiece, using contact printer, pantograph stylus, silkscreen printing device, or stamp pad. | Not published |
| Not much | Insert cutting tools or bits into machines and secure them with wrenches. | Not published |
| AI + software | Sketch, trace, or scribe layout lines and designs on workpieces, plates, dies, or rollers, using compasses, scribers, gravers, or pencils. | Not published |
| Not much | Neutralize workpieces to remove acid, wax, or enamel, using water, solvents, brushes, or specialized machines. | Not published |
| Not much | Adjust depths and sizes of cuts by adjusting heights of worktables, or by adjusting machine-arm gauges. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare etching chemicals according to formulas, diluting acid with water to obtain solutions of specified concentration. | Not published |
| Not much | Guide stylus over template, causing cutting tool to duplicate design or letters on workpiece. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove wax or tape from etched glassware by using a stylus or knife, or by immersing ware in hot water. | Not published |
| Not much | Set reduction scales to attain specified sizes of reproduction on workpieces, and set pantograph controls for required heights, depths, and widths of cuts. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill etched characters with opaque paste to improve readability. | Not published |
| Not much | Sandblast exposed areas of glass to cut designs in surfaces, using spray guns. | Not published |
| Not much | Brush or wipe acid over engraving to darken or highlight inscriptions. | 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 26 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 26 tasks fall under 19 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
- #37 Determine operational methods or procedures
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Engrave objects | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment |
Show all 19 activities
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Determine operational methods or procedures | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Design materials or devices | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Apply materials to fill gaps or imperfections | |||
| Operate cutting or grinding equipment | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| 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 etchers and engravers 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 560 moves out
- 1 Tile and Stone Setters Low +9.8% 22%
- 2 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers Moderate +2.5% 5%
- 3 Sales Managers High +4.5% 5%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 607 moves in
- 1 Tile and Stone Setters Low +9.8% 7%
- 2 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 5%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
- 5 Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance Very high -0.7% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 33% less than high school
- 54% high school
- 1% postsecondary certificate
- 13% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 15% less than high school
- 42% high school
- 18% some college
- 6% associate's
- 19% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 105 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
1 program: Graphic Communications, Other.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
<15% 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 10 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Etchers and Engravers” 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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