Machinist in Washington: licence, certification and what employers require (2026)

Washington does not license machinists: no state licence; NIMS credentials and a skills test are what employers use. This page says what a machinist licensed or working in another state has to do to work in Washington, in the order to do it, and what goes wrong when the order is reversed.

How the transfer works

No state licenses machinists or CNC operators. Your NIMS credentials and your record transfer to Washington as they are; most employers give a practical test on hire. Nothing is filed with the state.

What to have ready before you move

• NIMS credentials
• A list of machines and controls (Fanuc, Haas, Mazak) you have run
• Sample programs or part drawings if you have them

Start the paperwork before you give notice. There is no Washington licence to wait for, so the only clock is the employer's.

What people get wrong

• Assuming a title transfers; a 'machinist' at one shop is an 'operator' at another, and the pay follows the test

Who hires machinists in Washington

Machinists in Washington are hired by job shops, aerospace and defence manufacturers, medical device makers and automotive suppliers. The metros with the most of that work are Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver and Bellevue. Employers who could not hire locally and have filed with the Department of Labor are on the Washington openings page.

For the money side: the median machinist in Washington earned $64,510 a year ($31 an hour) in May 2024 across 6,980 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Washington has no state income tax on wages. What that leaves you after tax is its own page.

Everything about Washington, on one page

The Washington page has the registries and boards, the income tax table, the programs that pay you to come and the openings filed this month. If you know which state you are leaving, the move pages compare the two directly. Creating a free Workmerica profile with your trade and your destination puts you in front of Washington employers hiring from out of state.