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CNC & machining programs in Tennessee
Tennessee has 25 accredited campuses awarding machinist credentials. If you finish and work as a machinist in Tennessee, expect to start around $37,560–$43,200 and reach a median of $49,600 with experience; the top quarter earn $61,220 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Tennessee). Graduates of these Tennessee programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $32,431 in their first year, against $36,340 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What machinists earn in Tennessee
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 8,270 employed in Tennessee. National median: $58,750.
Campuses in Tennessee, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: AthensBlountvilleClevelandCrossvilleCrumpDicksonElizabethtonHarrimanHartsvilleHohenwaldHuntsvilleJacksboroJacksonKnoxvilleLivingstonMcKenzieMcMinnvilleMemphisMorristownMurfreesboroNashvilleNewbernParisShelbyville
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville | Shelbyville | Public | 23 | $37,505 | not reported | 81% | $13,470 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Morristown | Morristown | Public | 14 | $35,952 | not reported | 80% | $20,297 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-McKenzie | McKenzie | Public | 3 | $35,493 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jackson | Jackson | Public | 16 | $34,535 | not reported | 80% | $14,864 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Elizabethton | Elizabethton | Public | 12 | $34,365 | not reported | 81% | $13,540 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Athens | Athens | Public | 10 | $34,210 | not reported | 95% | $21,762 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson | Dickson | Public | 13 | $34,195 | not reported | 75% | $19,950 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology Northwest | Newbern | Public | 18 | $32,840 | not reported | 69% | $14,677 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Hohenwald | Hohenwald | Public | 10 | $32,022 | not reported | 65% | $18,463 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-McMinnville | McMinnville | Public | 4 | $31,809 | not reported | 67% | $17,680 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville | Knoxville | Public | 16 | $31,729 | not reported | 71% | $23,962 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jacksboro | Jacksboro | Public | 6 | $31,338 | not reported | 84% | $19,651 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville | Nashville | Public | 14 | $30,929 | not reported | 70% | $21,109 |
| William R Moore College of Technology | Memphis | non-profit | 13 | $30,485 | not reported | 50% | not reported |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Henry/Carroll | Paris | Public | 5 | $30,001 | not reported | 75% | $16,418 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Memphis | Memphis | Public | 16 | $29,256 | not reported | 55% | $18,418 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Crossville | Crossville | Public | 9 | $28,929 | not reported | 84% | $18,949 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Harriman | Harriman | Public | 11 | $27,996 | not reported | 69% | $17,732 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Crump | Crump | Public | 2 | $26,224 | not reported | 63% | $9,355 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Murfreesboro | Murfreesboro | Public | 14 | not reported | not reported | 76% | $12,415 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Hartsville | Hartsville | Public | 9 | not reported | not reported | 83% | $12,458 |
| Northeast State Community College | Blountville | Public | 8 | not reported | not reported | 33% | not reported |
| Cleveland State Community College | Cleveland | Public | 2 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Livingston | Livingston | Public | 2 | not reported | not reported | 78% | $17,685 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Oneida-Huntsville | Huntsville | Public | 2 | not reported | not reported | 74% | $20,130 |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.