TL;DR

About 12,720 foundry mold and coremakers nationally earn a mean of $47,010. Employment in the series shown fell about 19% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.5% annual decline.

Key Statistics

12,720
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$47,010
Average Salary

Foundry Mold and Coremakers: what the data shows

Common questions about foundry mold and coremakers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.

What is a foundry mold and coremakers?

Foundry Mold and Coremakers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-4071.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 12,720 workers.

What does a foundry mold and coremakers do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Handling and Moving Objects, Performing General Physical Activities, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a foundry mold and coremakers make?

BLS national median annual wage: $45,700 (May 2024 in our extract).

Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).

Wage percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$38,751
25th percentile$39,910
Median (50th)$43,901
75th percentile$52,027
90th percentile$59,394

What education do you need?

For Foundry Mold and Coremakers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.

What skills do you need?

O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Time Management, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Operation and Control, and knowledge areas including English Language, Mechanical, Education and Training, Production and Processing. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is foundry mold and coremakers in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.5% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: -2.3%.

Ten-year projected employment change: -4.6%.

Current U.S. headcount: 12,720.

We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.

Where do foundry mold and coremakerss work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Cross-industry12,72020.5%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only12,68020.5%
Manufacturing12,46020.1%
Primary Metal Manufacturing9,04014.6%
Foundries8,66014.0%
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing1,0201.6%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Foundry Mold and Coremakers in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Foundry Mold and Coremakers workforce.

Employment Over Time

12,720 Workforce in 2023

The Foundry Mold and Coremakers workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$47,010 Average Wage

In 2023, Foundry Mold and Coremakers earned an average of $47,010.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Salary distribution for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Employment Growth Projections

-0.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

2,012 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: -2.3%

1,965 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: -4.6%

This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Foundry Mold and Coremakers and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Foundry Mold and Coremakers employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Wage Trends by Industry

10.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Total, All Industry: 7.5% growth (Current: $47,233)

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • MI: 1,700 employees, $46,380 avg wage
  • PA: 1,200 employees, $44,290 avg wage
  • OH: 1,100 employees, $47,930 avg wage
  • WI: 910 employees, $44,830 avg wage
  • IN: 660 employees, $47,270 avg wage
  • AL: 650 employees, $45,190 avg wage
  • IA: 610 employees, $45,920 avg wage
  • CA: 610 employees, $45,820 avg wage
  • MO: 610 employees, $57,550 avg wage
  • TN: 520 employees, $39,010 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • St. Louis, MO-IL: 460 employees, $58,570 avg wage
  • Cleveland, OH: 380 employees, $47,940 avg wage
  • Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 380 employees, $49,940 avg wage
  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 360 employees, $45,900 avg wage
  • Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ: 330 employees, $43,800 avg wage
  • Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI: 290 employees, $43,700 avg wage
  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 220 employees, $48,750 avg wage
  • Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI: 220 employees, $49,230 avg wage
  • Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI: 200 employees, $47,960 avg wage
  • Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 200 employees, $63,790 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Diversity

Demographic information on Foundry Mold and Coremakers in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Foundry Mold and Coremakers in 2023 was 12,720 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Foundry Mold and Coremakers in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.

Common majors for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Foundry Mold and Coremakers workers.

Education level distribution for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Skills

Foundry Mold and Coremakers need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Time Management, Critical Thinking, Active Listening.

Required skills for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Foundry Mold and Coremakers include English Language, Mechanical, Education and Training, Production and Processing, Administration and Management.

Knowledge areas required for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Foundry Mold and Coremakers include Trunk Strength, Manual Dexterity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Static Strength, Finger Dexterity.

Required abilities for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

Daily Activities

Foundry Mold and Coremakers spend their time on activities such as Handling and Moving Objects, Performing General Physical Activities, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.

Most important work activities for Foundry Mold and Coremakers.

About

Foundry Mold and Coremakers

The average yearly wage for Foundry Mold and Coremakers was $47,010 in 2023.

SOC Code

51-4071 - Foundry Mold and Coremakers

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Foundry Mold and Coremakers reports an average salary of $47,010.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 12,720 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.