Location: Kinston, NC•In-State Tuition: $2,568•Out-of-State Tuition: $8,712
Est. Earnings (1yr)
$37,004
Est. from NC median (6 programs)
Est. Median Debt
$7,913
Est. from national median (94 programs)

Analysis

Based on comparable programs in North Carolina, graduates in this field typically start around $37,000—a figure that falls right in line with both state and national medians for precision metalworking certificates. The estimated $7,900 in debt puts this program well below what students usually borrow for similar credentials nationwide (where the median sits at $9,000). That 0.21 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests the financial fundamentals work: you're looking at roughly three months of gross income to cover the total educational investment.

The challenge is knowing how Lenoir Community College specifically prepares students compared to the handful of NC schools with published outcomes. Davidson-Davie graduates earn about $3,000 more in their first year, while Johnston Community College graduates start about $3,000 less—so there's meaningful variation even within the state's community college system. The 42% Pell grant rate tells you this program serves a lot of working families, which matters when every dollar of debt and earnings counts.

For a parent, the core question is whether your child can secure the kind of shop floor or manufacturing job that these earnings estimates assume. If Lenoir has strong employer connections in eastern North Carolina's manufacturing sector, the modest debt load makes this a manageable bet. If those placement relationships are weak, you're gambling on your child finding work that meets these peer-program benchmarks on their own.

Where Lenoir Community College Stands

Earnings vs. debt across all precision metal working certificate's programs nationally

Lenoir Community College (estimated ±10%)Other precision metal working programs

Dashed lines show national medians. Upper-left = best value.

Compare to Similar Programs in North Carolina

Precision Metal Working certificate's programs at peer institutions in North Carolina (59 total in state)

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SchoolIn-State TuitionEarnings (1yr)*Earnings (4yr)Median Debt*Debt/Earnings
Lenoir Community CollegeKinston$2,568$37,004*—$7,913*—
Davidson-Davie Community CollegeThomasville$1,978$39,990*—$11,000*0.28
NASCAR Technical InstituteMooresville—$37,568*—$10,593*0.28
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAsheville$2,882$37,078*——*—
Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestown$2,319$36,930*$36,750—*—
Johnston Community CollegeSmithfield$2,657$34,171*——*—
National Median—$36,248*—$9,000*0.25
* Estimated from similar programs

Career Paths

Occupations commonly associated with precision metal working graduates

Sheet Metal Workers

Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.

$60,850/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Machinists

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Tool and Die Makers

Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

$51,000/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to roll steel or plastic forming bends, beads, knurls, rolls, or plate, or to flatten, temper, or reduce gauge of material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend drilling machines to drill, bore, ream, mill, or countersink metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:
About This Data

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (October 2025 release)

Population: Graduates who received federal financial aid (Title IV grants or loans). At Lenoir Community College, approximately 42% of students receive Pell grants. Students who did not receive federal aid are not included in these figures.

Earnings: Median earnings from IRS W-2 data for graduates who are employed and not enrolled in further education, measured 1 year after completion. Earnings are pre-tax and include wages, salaries, and self-employment income.

Debt: Median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation. Does not include private loans or Parent PLUS loans borrowed on behalf of students.

Estimated Earnings: Actual earnings data is not available for this program (typically due to privacy thresholds when fewer than 30 graduates reported earnings). The estimate shown is based on the median of 6 similar programs in NC. Actual outcomes may vary.