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CNC Programmer

CNC Programmer profiles score highest on Organizing and Operating. This page covers what the work involves, what the trait profile looks like, what it pays, and where the fit tends to break.

Score your fit for this role See the trait profile

Median pay: $68,120per year, U.S. BLS 2025
Entry education: High schooltypical for the occupation
Outlook: BrightO*NET Bright Outlook occupation

SOURCE · O*NET 51-9162.00 and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures are national and vary widely by state and setting.

What the work involves

Develop programs to control machining or processing of materials by automatic machine tools, equipment, or systems. May also set up, operate, or maintain equipment.

Skills rated most important

Programming69

Monitoring63

Complex Problem Solving53

Mathematics53

Operations Monitoring53

Work context

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams89

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled71

Contact With Others61

Spend Time Standing55

Spend Time Sitting46

Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled44

Spend Time Walking or Running42

Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body41

Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling24

Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles9

Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance5

O*NET importance and frequency ratings, 0–100.

The trait profile

Where CNC Programmer profiles sit on the eleven Haliscope traits, derived from O*NET’s published interest and work-style data.

Organizing81

Operating64

Exploring52

Analyzing44

Persevering44

Safety-Seeking42

Law-Abiding25

Influencing13

Creating11

Helping10

Harmonizing8

Who it fits, and who it doesn’t

Strong signals

High Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.
High Creating. Measures your inclination toward original thinking and artistic expression. High scorers generate innovative ideas and find rigid structure limiting.
High Organizing. Measures your preference for structure, detail, and systematic processes. High scorers excel at creating order, optimizing workflows, and maintaining precision.

Friction points

Low Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.
Low Creating. Measures your inclination toward original thinking and artistic expression. High scorers generate innovative ideas and find rigid structure limiting.
Low Organizing. Measures your preference for structure, detail, and systematic processes. High scorers excel at creating order, optimizing workflows, and maintaining precision.

These are what the occupation’s profile says, not a hiring criterion. Haliscope is not validated for hiring or screening, and none of these is disqualifying — they are where a fit most often breaks.

Getting in

Entry education: High school.

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

O*NET Job Zone descriptions, U.S. Department of Labor.

Exposure to AI

How much of this work AI can already do, and how much AI tools help the people doing it, is scored task by task in the AI Risk Index.

Will AI replace CNC Programmer?

CNC OperatorMedian pay $50,690

Is this profile yours?

Take the assessment and see your eleven scores against this occupation and every other one Haliscope scores. A preview of your results is free; the full report is $10.00.

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