Metal and Plastic Machine Workers Pay Salary

The median hourly wage of metal and plastic machine workers was $15.34 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $9.96, and the top 10 percent earned more than $23.57.

Wages for metal and plastic machine workers vary by size of the company, union status, industry, and skill level and experience of the operator.

In May 2010, median hourly wages for metal and plastic machine workers were as follows:

• $22.07 for computer numerically controlled machine tool programmers, metal and plastic
• $20.55 for model makers, metal and plastic
• $18.49 for metal-refining furnace operators and tenders
• $17.88 for patternmakers, metal and plastic
• $17.63 for rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
• $17.47 for milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
• $16.70 for computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic
• $16.66 for lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
• $16.36 for pourers and casters, metal
• $16.26 for welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders
• $16.13 for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
• $15.86 for heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
• $15.56 for drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
• $15.30 for multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
• $15.26 for extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
• $14.74 for grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
• $14.66 for foundry mold and coremakers
• $14.12 for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
• $13.93 for plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
• $13.54 for molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

Most metal and plastic machine workers are employed full time during regular business hours. Overtime is common, and because many manufacturers run the machinery long hours, evening and weekend work also is common.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition