Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic Salary: $53,186 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 34,750 molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic nationally earn a mean of $53,186. Employment in the series shown fell about 6% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.8% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic: what the data shows
Common questions about molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic?
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-9195.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 34,750 workers.
What does a molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Handling and Moving Objects, Performing General Physical Activities, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic make?
BLS national median annual wage: $45,690 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $53,186 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,058 |
| 25th percentile | $44,691 |
| Median (50th) | $49,647 |
| 75th percentile | $60,697 |
| 90th percentile | $74,393 |
What education do you need?
For Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except 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 Operations Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, Mechanical, Administration and Management, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.8% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -8.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -16.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 34,750.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastics work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 44,060 | 25.6% |
| Cross-industry | 34,750 | 20.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 34,680 | 20.1% |
| Manufacturing | 28,900 | 16.8% |
| Construction | 3,060 | 1.8% |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 3,000 | 1.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic workforce.
Employment Over Time
34,750 Workforce in 2023
The Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$53,186 Average Wage
In 2023, Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic earned an average of $53,186.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Salary distribution for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Employment Growth Projections
-1.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
14,243 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -8.6%
13,021 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -16.4%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Wage Trends by Industry
1.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
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:
- CA: 4,090 employees, $51,840 avg wage
- MI: 1,980 employees, $43,980 avg wage
- TX: 1,950 employees, $40,560 avg wage
- PA: 1,740 employees, $47,020 avg wage
- IN: 1,740 employees, $47,420 avg wage
- OH: 1,730 employees, $45,220 avg wage
- FL: 1,680 employees, $45,030 avg wage
- NY: 1,350 employees, $52,210 avg wage
- IL: 1,160 employees, $47,260 avg wage
- MA: 1,150 employees, $48,860 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,210 employees, $52,060 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 760 employees, $54,400 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 710 employees, $45,730 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 700 employees, $47,890 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 660 employees, $49,310 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 640 employees, $47,590 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 620 employees, $53,080 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 470 employees, $38,730 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 470 employees, $41,040 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 460 employees, $47,540 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Diversity
Demographic information on Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic in 2023 was 34,750 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except 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 Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic workers.
Education level distribution for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Skills
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving.
Required skills for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic include Production and Processing, Mechanical, Administration and Management, English Language, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic include Trunk Strength, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Written Comprehension, Near Vision, Manual Dexterity.
Required abilities for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
Daily Activities
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic spend their time on activities such as Handling and Moving Objects, Performing General Physical Activities, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes.
Most important work activities for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
About
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
The average yearly wage for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic was $53,186 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-9195 - Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic reports an average salary of $53,186.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 34,750 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.8%, 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.