Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for foundry mold and coremakers in the U.S. is $48,110 ($23.13 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $48,110
- Mean annual wage
- $49,860
- Median hourly wage
- $23.13
- Employment
- 12,790
12,790 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,160 | $17.87 |
| 25th percentile | $41,870 | $20.13 |
| Median (50th) | $48,110 | $23.13 |
| 75th percentile | $57,350 | $27.57 |
| 90th percentile | $62,640 | $30.12 |
Highest-paying states for foundry mold and coremakers
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $67,060 | 270 |
| Missouri | $61,480 | 590 |
| Illinois | $57,110 | 390 |
| Minnesota | $56,840 | 470 |
| Massachusetts | $55,940 | 60 |
| New Jersey | $55,210 | 330 |
| New York | $54,380 | 110 |
| Alabama | $51,040 | 850 |
| Indiana | $49,860 | 720 |
| Iowa | $49,060 | 480 |
Lowest-paying states
- Tennessee: $37,310 median annual wage
- Florida: $38,330 median annual wage
- Mississippi: $39,560 median annual wage
- South Carolina: $41,100 median annual wage
- Texas: $42,190 median annual wage
About this occupation
Make or form wax or sand cores or molds used in the production of metal castings in foundries.
Typical tasks
- Clean and smooth molds, cores, and core boxes, and repair surface imperfections.
- Sift and pack sand into mold sections, core boxes, and pattern contours, using hand or pneumatic ramming tools.
- Rotate sweep boards around spindles to make symmetrical molds for convex impressions.
- Move and position workpieces, such as mold sections, patterns, and bottom boards, using cranes, or signal others to move workpieces.
- Operate ovens or furnaces to bake cores or to melt, skim, and flux metal.
- Pour molten metal into molds, manually or with crane ladles.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 11.6% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 44.3% |
| Some college, no degree | 27.0% |
| Associate's degree | 9.6% |
| Bachelor's degree | 6.4% |
| Master's degree | 0.8% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.4% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
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- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,570
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- 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.