Occupation overview

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic is $49,030, or $23.57 per hour. About 8,930 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $69,210 in Oregon to $35,630 in New Jersey.

Median annual
$49,030
Median hourly
$23.57
Entry level (P10)
$36,800
Top 10% (P90)
$68,720
Employment
8,930
States covered
32

Wage distribution nationwide

Earnings spread across all U.S. workers in this occupation.

10th percentile90th percentile
$36,800
$42,440
$49,030
$60,130
$36,800$49,030$68,720
Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $49,030.

Salary by state

All 32 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#StateMedian annual Median hourlyEmployment Location quotient
1Oregon$69,210$33.27300.31
2Oklahoma$61,720$29.68——
3Michigan$61,620$29.636202.46
4Nebraska$60,460$29.072003.37
5Wisconsin$60,310$29.00800.47
6California$59,250$28.497500.71
7Colorado$57,970$27.871400.86
8Ohio$56,870$27.345001.58
9New York$56,350$27.092600.46
10Missouri$55,210$26.54600.33
11Virginia$54,230$26.075602.36
12Indiana$53,550$25.754502.46
13Massachusetts$51,770$24.893101.49
14Kansas$51,120$24.581301.61
15Pennsylvania$50,280$24.185501.57
16Maryland$49,920$24.00300.22
17Illinois$49,750$23.922300.65
18South Carolina$49,610$23.85800.59
19Arizona$48,730$23.43300.18
20Iowa$47,010$22.60——
21Alabama$46,970$22.58700.58
22Georgia$46,490$22.353801.36
23Connecticut$45,120$21.691101.10
24Nevada$45,040$21.66400.49
25Tennessee$43,810$21.061,1406.08
26Florida$40,480$19.46800.15
27Mississippi$39,550$19.02700.99
28Arkansas$38,120$18.331401.85
29West Virginia$37,390$17.97——
30Texas$37,390$17.987200.89
31Kentucky$36,110$17.36——
32New Jersey$35,630$17.13——

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Frequently asked questions

How much do forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?

The median annual wage for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in the United States is $49,030, or $23.57 per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $36,800, and the top 10% earn $68,720.

How many forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic are employed in the U.S.?

About 8,930 people work as forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic nationwide.

Which state pays forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the most?

Oregon pays the most at a median of $69,210, followed by Oklahoma ($61,720) and Michigan ($61,620).

Which state pays forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the least?

New Jersey has the lowest median at $35,630.

Where are forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is Tennessee at 6.08×.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26. bls.gov/oes