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How Much Does a Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic Make?

A molding, coremaking, and casting machine setter, operator, and tender, metal and plastic in the US earns a median salary of $44,350 a year, or $21.32 an hour (BLS, May 2025). The average is $45,960, and the middle half earn between $37,270 and $51,020.

Median a year $44,350
Median an hour $21.32
Median a month $3,696
Average a year $45,960

Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setter, operator, and tender, metal and plastic pay range

What molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn at each point of the pay scale. The 10th percentile is a rough guide to starting pay.

Percentile A year An hour
10th (lowest 10%) $34,170 $16.43
25th $37,270 $17.92
Median (50th) $44,350 $21.32
75th $51,020 $24.53
90th (top 10%) $61,600 $29.62

The median is 13% less than the $50,980 median for all US jobs. About 150,470 people work as molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in the US.

After tax and by period

A week
$853
Every two weeks
$1,706
Twice a month
$1,848
A month
$3,696

At the median salary, before tax.

Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setter, operator, and tender, metal and plastic salary by state

Sorted by average pay. Hawaii pays molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the most, at $77,490 a year on average.

State Average Median Jobs After tax
Hawaii $77,490 $77,560 140 After tax
Maine $59,830 $59,230 470 After tax
Maryland $59,030 $63,460 230 After tax
Nevada $54,340 $49,590 350 After tax
Washington $52,690 $48,290 1,800 After tax
Minnesota $51,950 $49,590 2,230 After tax
Utah $50,610 $46,750 2,400 After tax
North Dakota $50,280 $47,780 160 After tax
Kentucky $50,210 $47,110 4,340 After tax
Colorado $50,170 $48,200 2,160 After tax
Connecticut $49,120 $46,240 1,100 After tax
California $49,020 $47,240 9,250 After tax
Oregon $48,820 $46,200 1,780 After tax
New Hampshire $48,680 $47,610 1,080 After tax
Arizona $48,160 $46,930 1,430 After tax
Nebraska $47,740 $48,500 1,000 After tax
Vermont $47,250 $44,530 110 After tax
Georgia $47,230 $43,250 2,060 After tax
Iowa $47,170 $45,220 3,670 After tax
Oklahoma $47,120 $45,680 2,030 After tax
West Virginia $47,060 $42,500 420 After tax
Pennsylvania $46,760 $46,760 7,000 After tax
Illinois $46,710 $45,500 10,680 After tax
New York $46,650 $44,500 3,320 After tax
South Carolina $46,290 $45,270 3,240 After tax
Ohio $46,060 $44,830 11,050 After tax
Indiana $45,820 $44,290 8,810 After tax
Missouri $45,780 $44,120 3,340 After tax
Wisconsin $45,310 $44,230 8,590 After tax
Delaware $45,200 $45,220 120 After tax
Virginia $45,120 $45,370 1,680 After tax
Montana $45,020 $43,340 110 After tax
Massachusetts $44,750 $42,570 3,810 After tax
Arkansas $44,410 $44,790 2,520 After tax
Rhode Island $44,000 $42,020 430 After tax
North Carolina $43,880 $41,630 7,570 After tax
Texas $43,860 $41,140 7,460 After tax
Michigan $43,800 $39,490 13,550 After tax
New Jersey $43,470 $39,950 2,450 After tax
Idaho $43,110 $42,690 520 After tax
Wyoming $43,020 $38,160 60 After tax
Mississippi $42,930 $39,730 550 After tax
South Dakota $42,670 $40,750 840 After tax
Kansas $42,480 $43,050 1,240 After tax
Florida $42,150 $38,440 3,290 After tax
New Mexico $41,670 $41,990 250 After tax
Tennessee $41,360 $38,820 3,730 After tax
Alabama $41,250 $39,010 5,900 After tax
Louisiana $40,620 $38,650 90 After tax
Puerto Rico $27,560 $23,080 920

A dash means BLS did not publish that figure for the state.

Other production jobs

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (published 2026), for “Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic” (SOC 51-4072). Wages are before tax and leave out self-employed workers. All job salaries

About the Job Salaries

Job Salaries shows what more than 500 US jobs pay, from nurses and electricians to software developers and truck drivers. Each job has its median and average salary, hourly and monthly pay, the pay range from the lowest-paid 10% to the top 10%, and a table of pay in every state. The figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, the largest survey of US pay, in its latest release.

How to use it

  1. 1 Search for a job or pick one from the list.
  2. 2 Read the median salary, hourly pay and the pay range.
  3. 3 Check the salary by state to see where the job pays most.
  4. 4 Open the take-home pay calculator to see the salary after tax.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a molding, coremaking, and casting machine setter, operator, and tender, metal and plastic make an hour?

The median hourly wage for a molding, coremaking, and casting machine setter, operator, and tender, metal and plastic is $21.32, and the average is $22.10. The lowest-paid 10% earn under $16.43 an hour and the top 10% over $29.62.

How much does a molding, coremaking, and casting machine setter, operator, and tender, metal and plastic make a month?

At the median salary of $44,350, a molding, coremaking, and casting machine setter, operator, and tender, metal and plastic earns about $3,696 a month before tax, or $1,706 every two weeks.

Which state pays molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the most?

Hawaii has the highest average pay for a molding, coremaking, and casting machine setter, operator, and tender, metal and plastic, at $77,490 a year. Next are Maine and Maryland. Pay is usually higher where living costs are higher, so compare take-home pay too.

What is the starting salary for a molding, coremaking, and casting machine setter, operator, and tender, metal and plastic?

The lowest-paid 10% of molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn less than $34,170 a year, and the lowest 25% less than $37,270. That is a fair guide to starting pay, which depends on the state, the employer and your experience.

How much do the highest-paid molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?

The top 10% earn more than $61,600 a year, and the top 25% more than $51,020.