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 in the U.S. is $49,030 ($23.57 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $49,030
- Mean annual wage
- $51,680
- Median hourly wage
- $23.57
- Employment
- 8,930
8,930 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,800 | $17.69 |
| 25th percentile | $42,440 | $20.40 |
| Median (50th) | $49,030 | $23.57 |
| 75th percentile | $60,130 | $28.91 |
| 90th percentile | $68,720 | $33.04 |
Highest-paying states for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $69,210 | 30 |
| Oklahoma | $61,720 | — |
| Michigan | $61,620 | 620 |
| Nebraska | $60,460 | 200 |
| Wisconsin | $60,310 | 80 |
| California | $59,250 | 750 |
| Colorado | $57,970 | 140 |
| Ohio | $56,870 | 500 |
| New York | $56,350 | 260 |
| Missouri | $55,210 | 60 |
Lowest-paying states
- New Jersey: $35,630 median annual wage
- Kentucky: $36,110 median annual wage
- West Virginia: $37,390 median annual wage
- Texas: $37,390 median annual wage
- Arkansas: $38,120 median annual wage
About this occupation
Set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts.
Typical tasks
- Repair, maintain, and replace parts on dies.
- Set up, operate, or tend presses and forging machines to perform hot or cold forging by flattening, straightening, bending, cutting, piercing, or other operations to taper, shape, or form metal.
- Position and move metal wires or workpieces through a series of dies that compress and shape stock to form die impressions.
- Install, adjust, and remove dies, synchronizing cams, forging hammers, and stop guides, using overhead cranes or other hoisting devices, and hand tools.
- Start machines to produce sample workpieces, and observe operations to detect machine malfunctions and to verify that machine setups conform to specifications.
- Confer with other workers about machine setups and operational specifications.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 12.7% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 56.6% |
| Some college, no degree | 21.0% |
| Associate's degree | 4.5% |
| Bachelor's degree | 4.5% |
| Master's degree | 0.6% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,650
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,450
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,570
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,750
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,220
- Machinists$58,750
- Production Workers, All Other$40,110
- Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,850
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.