Average Extruding And Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Extruding And Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic is $46,980 per year. The middle 50% earn between $39,370 and $54,360, with 65,700 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates . Data covers 46 states and 138 metro areas.
Wage range
Pay distribution
Here is how Extruding And Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $35,390
- 25th
- $39,370
- Median
- $46,980
- 75th
- $54,360
- 90th
- $62,470
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
Extruding And Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic earn close to the national median for all US workers. Solidly middle-income.
Pay is tightly clustered around the median. Most extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn within a narrow band, with less variation than many other occupations. That is often a sign of standardized roles or union and public-sector pay scales.
BLS projections
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic from 2024 to 2034. Growth is below the US average of roughly 4% across all occupations. The field is relatively stable but not expanding quickly.
- Projected growth
- +1.2%
- 800 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 6,500
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings reflect typical replacement demand alongside any growth.
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
A high-school diploma is typically sufficient for entry, with much of the training happening on the job.
Where Extruding And Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is Rhode Island at $64,860, about 38.1% above the national median. At the metro level, Baton Rouge, LA leads with a median of $103,300.
By state
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $64,860 | 380 |
| Minnesota | $54,340 | 820 |
| Maryland | $53,190 | 260 |
| Vermont | $52,900 | 120 |
| North Carolina | $51,930 | 4,370 |
| South Carolina | $50,750 | 2,310 |
| Nebraska | $50,750 | 510 |
| Louisiana | $50,610 | 860 |
By metro
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | $103,300 | 440 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | $62,710 | 400 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | $62,240 | 120 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $59,480 | 70 |
| Terre Haute, IN | $59,290 | 330 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | $58,380 | 40 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $57,870 | 490 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $55,290 | 580 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2024, the national median salary for Extruding And Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic rose from $36,320 to $46,980, a gain of +29.4% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +22.7%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $36,320 would need to be worth $44,564 in 2024 dollars.
The actual 2024 median of $46,980 is $2,416 above that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of +5.4% in purchasing power.
Real wages have outpaced inflation by 5.4%, a modest but real gain in purchasing power.
- Nominal change
- +29.4%
- 2019–2024
- Cumulative inflation
- +22.7%
- US CPI, 2019–2024
- Real change
- +5.4%
- After adjusting for inflation
Annual history
Median salary over time
Extruding And Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2019
- $36,320
- 2020
- $37,530
- 2021
- $37,750
- 2022
- $39,970
- 2023
- $44,390
- 2024
- $46,980
Similar jobs
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Foundry Mold And Coremakers
- $45,700
Common salary questions for Extruding And Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Extruding And Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.