Typical programmer salary

[[Jo...]]

Hey guys,
We are looking to place a job posting online soon. I am looking to understand what other programmers have experienced regarding typical CMM programmer salaries or hourly rates in the United States.
I would typically rate this based on experience. Would anyone be able to outline roughly what they would expect in terms of salary? I understand certain areas of the US may differ based on the cost of living.

-less than 3 years
-3-5 years
-5-8 years
-10+ years

Thanks in advance!

[[DW...]]

First and foremost, what is your industry? A CMM programmer working in an industry with tons of free form surface, curves, gears, complicated drawings etc will command a much higher salary than a CMM programmer working in a shop that only creates basic geometries.

With that being said, be mindful about choosing "years of experience" over what kind of experience those years contained. By the numbers I might have five "years of experience" programming Calypso, but I work in an independent laboratory performing simple to very complex inspections from many, many industries every single day.

What tasks does your CMM programmer position require? Is it basic or complex programming? Will it be one off inspections, or production runs? Statistical analysis and reporting required? Customization or automation?

CMM programmer can cover a vast set of knowledge and skills, and the ones you require will determine the type of programmer who will apply (also setting the wage requirement).

[[Jo...]]

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Thanks for the Reply DWC, these are all good points. 

This was more of a general post really see what others have experienced. When we develop our job posting this will have detailed responsibilities. 

For some background, my company would be similar to the automotive industry (compressors). Our inspection ranges from the majority being more simple components with other complex parts that do utilize curve/freeform.  GDT knowledge is a must. 

The reason for the initial inquiry is that we are open to different levels of experience. A bright lower leveled user may be worth the investment to train in any areas that he/she may be missing knowledge. 

 

To better categorize expertise salary levels based on your response, a categorization could be similar to the below list. 

-beginner

-intermediate

-expert

 

Thanks,

JG

 

[[Je...]]

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Joseph, this is a topic of particular interest to me, and not just because of the obvious fact that it relates to compensation of my chosen career path.  I find the evolution of the CMM Programmer's role, wage growth, and the vast range of compensation to be fascinating.

While you won't find an immutable standard for assigning CMM Programmer wages, there are trends to acknowledge.

The two most significant trends I see in our field are:

1.  The CMM Programmer role has expanded to resemble that of a mid to senior level engineer.

• Often, the programmer serves as a company's GD&T-fluent metrologist and subject matter expert.  
• The overall skill level has increased significantly.

2. There is high demand and competition for skilled CMM Programmers.

Here in the Twin Cities of Minnesota at the beginning of 2025, medical device manufacturing is the largest industry for programmers, but there is a healthy presence of aerospace and defense, machinery, agriculture, and other fields.

Regardless of industry, most programmers here with at least two years of experience make between $34 to $48 per hour, and there are outliers on either side of this. Companies that have benefited from having the same person in the programmer's chair for 10+ years often face sticker shock when they need to hire a successor.  I've seen some positions remain unfilled for three or more years, with catastrophic effects.

The companies who are healthy and growth-oriented often are the ones willing to offer a competitive wage to CMM Programmers, and this is where candidates emanate towards.

Edited January 3

[[Jo...]]

Thanks for the reply Jeff!

You have hit the nail on the head. I have noticed these trends as well. Good CMM programmers are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Most of them are sitting tight while retiring or have moved on to a better position. Our old programmer was a great fit for our company and did great work. Unfortunately, he has moved on to a quality manager role, so I cannot blame him for that job opportunity. 

Thanks for the details based on your area; this does help me in my efforts. 

[[Ti...]]

If you want a great CMM programmer I'd make sure they are excellent understanding GDT and know the hard ware failures that can happen.

I work under a senior CMM programmer that I can compete with programming and GDT, but with mechanical issues regarding the CMM and experience in probes, modules, knuckles, angles, and minimiizing error thru years of Gage RR's I could never compete with him. I think I could, but I would probably finish second. That said, who do you think I call when there is a CMM issue?  We just replaced a head unit on a Hexagon CMM that is 25K new, 12K rebuilt. Isolating and figuring our what the problem was took a full day. Then once installed making sure the B0 rotation and B180 rotation was square took 1 hr of careful manipulation. Important things when understanding that a CMM programmer must handle.

Do you want someone that can see problems in advance with the measurement callouts and the terrible GDT that they are going to witness daily? Are they involved in these quote requests or even fixing current prints?

They need to be tough skinned and able to take abuse from people making parts. Ability to know when to stand their ground vs making a change to see if they can correlate with hard gages or vision systems.

I would definitely prefer hiring someone that is confident and likes to communicate vs someone that is otherwise. 

Excellent at GDT, experienced at programming, experienced at hard ward problems...50usd min

Excellent at GDT, experienced at programming, 40usd min

Moderate at GDT, moderate at programming, 35usd min

Pick your poision, just my thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

[[Jo...]]

Thanks for the response

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!

These are key factors to consider when determining if someone is the right fit for the job and the company.

In my position, we're not necessarily looking for someone based solely on their technical skills. The most important thing for us is finding someone with the right personality traits, particularly strong communication skills. We're not focused on finding someone who is thick-skinned, but rather someone who can accept constructive criticism and collaborate effectively with others. Whether their approach is right, wrong, or different, the ability to communicate and work together towards the best possible outcome is crucial. This is a quality that any employee should possess in my opinion.

Again, thanks for the reply Tim.  All of this feedback is a huge help that will aid in finding the right individual for the job. 

Would you mind me asking what area of the country are you working in?

 

[[Je...]]

Hello everyone.  Call me curious and interested...  What do you view as the most important traits of a CMM Programmer?  Ignoring most of personality type traits that would apply in all scenarios. I believe its obvious we want to work along side people that are easy to collaborate with and have strong work ethic.

• GD&T knowledge?
• Specific metrology software knowledge?
• Broad metrology software package knowledge?
• Inspection experience? ("Plate work", attribute and variable gaging, shadow graph, mics/calipers/indicators/height-master etc)
• Manufacturing (cnc/manual machining/injection/additive/stamping etc) experience?
• CAD experience?
• Degree?
• Certifications? (GD&T-P, Six Sigma Black Belt, etc)

Feel free to add others or highlight why you believe each is important or not.

 

 

[[DW...]]

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The most important trait to me is someone who can successfully trouble shoot a problem set. Every drawing, every fixture, every customer, every software error, every day requires troubleshooting. If I was hiring a potential programmer, I would rather take someone from a warehouse stacking boxes who has aptitude and a relentless desire to learn than a lazy senior metrologist who gives up or asks for help when faced with something new. There is always an answer, and I want the guy who will find it.

[[Ow...]]

• Inspection experience? ("Plate work", attribute and variable gaging, shadow graph, mics/calipers/indicators/height-master etc).

If you have no other way to double check CMM work, then the above is critical in my opinion and should be a prerequisite.  

If you don't know another way to check something the CMM has checked, then you don’t know with certainty that you’re doing it right and the cost of telling someone they’ve done it wrong when it isn’t, can be astronomical.

In the manufacturing setting, the CMM programmer/operator is going to be challenged frequently on the results produced and when confidence in what the CMM is giving you is questioned abroad, it can quickly be considered non-cost effective.

Either way, experience is at the very least half-made up of mistakes made and if you don’t have experience, mistakes are inevitable.

That’s why a person with a lot of experience is going to cost you more. Consequently, with less experience, a company is going to pay for it what it takes to get that experience.

If you interview a CMM programmer that says they've never made a mistake, that's a sign of either extreme arrogance or no experience.

[[Je...]]

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Great questions, Jeff.

I think the emerging needs in metrology ask for a few primary competencies:

1.  Specialization in one primary software, with the ability to learn others

• While this is the prerequisite for surpassing entry-level, it can be omitted if a company is willing to send a programmer to training.
• Specialization is far superior to mild fluency in multiple software.

2. An awareness of measurement uncertainty and the ability to manage it

3. A spatially-inclined mind

4. Strong listening skills and a desire to serve customers well, both internal and external