Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary: $53,782 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 14,590 heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic nationally earn a mean of $53,782. Employment in the series shown rose about 40% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.0% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: what the data shows
Common questions about heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic?
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-4191.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 14,590 workers.
What does a heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Handling and Moving Objects, Controlling Machines and Processes, Performing General Physical Activities, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?
BLS national median annual wage: $47,450 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $53,782 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $41,070 |
| 25th percentile | $47,379 |
| Median (50th) | $49,534 |
| 75th percentile | $59,763 |
| 90th percentile | $68,002 |
What education do you need?
For Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, 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 Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Speaking, Quality Control Analysis, Active Listening, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, Mathematics, Education and Training, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -13.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -25.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 14,590.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 14,590 | 20.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 14,540 | 20.0% |
| Manufacturing | 13,440 | 18.5% |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 6,790 | 9.4% |
| Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 3,970 | 5.5% |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 2,210 | 3.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 31,510 | $41,600 |
| Model Makers, Metal and Plastic | 3,230 | $62,700 |
| Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters | 53,380 | $49,900 |
| Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other | 20,270 | $42,750 |
| Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers | 23,420 | $49,140 |
| Logging Equipment Operators | 22,520 | $49,210 |
| Agricultural Equipment Operators | 30,940 | $42,580 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic workforce.
Employment Over Time
14,590 Workforce in 2023
The Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$53,782 Average Wage
In 2023, Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic earned an average of $53,782.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Salary distribution for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Employment Growth Projections
-3.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
2,513 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -13.9%
2,162 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -25.9%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Wage Trends by Industry
-14.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 4.4% growth (Current: $59,978)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 660 employees, $53,367 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 320 employees, $53,325 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 110 employees, $49,257 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 100 employees, $51,476 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 70 employees, $59,978 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 50 employees, $58,864 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 10 employees, $45,071 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Diversity
Demographic information on Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in 2023 was 14,590 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
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 Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic workers.
Education level distribution for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Skills
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Speaking, Quality Control Analysis, Active Listening.
Required skills for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic include Production and Processing, Mathematics, Education and Training, Administration and Management, Chemistry.
Knowledge areas required for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Multilimb Coordination, Reaction Time, Manual Dexterity, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
Daily Activities
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic spend their time on activities such as Handling and Moving Objects, Controlling Machines and Processes, Performing General Physical Activities, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment.
Most important work activities for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
About
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
The average yearly wage for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic was $53,782 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-4191 - Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic reports an average salary of $53,782.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 14,590 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -3.0%, 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.