Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (SOC 51-4021) earn a median $47,720 a year ($22.94 an hour) in the United States, with 60,840 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Rhode Island.
What extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic do
Extruding and drawing machine operators shape metal and thermoplastic into continuous products such as tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, and structural profiles. In extrusion, heated material is pushed through a shaped die; in drawing, stock is pulled through a die to reduce its diameter. The setter chooses and installs dies, sizing rings, and machine parts for the job, then starts the machine and adjusts vacuum, air pressure, temperature, and speed so that output stays synchronized. As the product emerges, the operator measures and examines it for defects and makes control changes when dimensions drift. Finished lengths are reeled or cut to the required length and weight. When the production line changes, the dies are changed to match. Operators also clean the work area and troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to the equipment.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, a high school diploma or equivalent is the most common level of education reported by workers in this occupation.
Also called: Core Extruder, Core Shaper, Draw Machine Operator, Drawbench Operator, Equipment Technician.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $17.65 | $19.45 | $22.94 | $27.33 | $30.63 | $23.79 | 60,840 |
| Annual | $36,700 | $40,450 | $47,720 | $56,840 | $63,710 | $49,480 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Rhode Island | Hourly | $22.95 | $24.04 | $29.50 | $32.19 | $35.71 | $28.98 | 430 | 0.86 | 2.19 |
| Annual | $47,740 | $50,000 | $61,350 | $66,960 | $74,270 | $60,280 | ||||
| Vermont | Hourly | $20.36 | $21.30 | $28.47 | $33.44 | $37.75 | $28.54 | 60 | 0.21 | 0.54 |
| Annual | $42,350 | $44,300 | $59,220 | $69,560 | $78,510 | $59,370 | ||||
| North Carolina | Hourly | $18.31 | $21.38 | $25.64 | $27.33 | $29.03 | $24.37 | 2,950 | 0.60 | 1.52 |
| Annual | $38,080 | $44,470 | $53,330 | $56,840 | $60,390 | $50,690 | ||||
| Nebraska | Hourly | $19.05 | $22.91 | $25.17 | $28.11 | $29.56 | $24.53 | 510 | 0.50 | 1.28 |
| Annual | $39,620 | $47,660 | $52,360 | $58,470 | $61,480 | $51,020 | ||||
| Minnesota | Hourly | $18.67 | $22.55 | $24.92 | $29.03 | $30.06 | $25.39 | 900 | 0.31 | 0.78 |
| Annual | $38,830 | $46,910 | $51,830 | $60,370 | $62,530 | $52,800 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Ohio | Hourly | $17.24 | $18.66 | $22.28 | $25.34 | $28.67 | $22.53 | 5,020 | 0.91 | 2.31 |
| Annual | $35,850 | $38,810 | $46,340 | $52,710 | $59,640 | $46,860 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $17.68 | $19.60 | $22.06 | $24.06 | $30.21 | $22.81 | 4,070 | 0.29 | 0.74 |
| Annual | $36,770 | $40,760 | $45,890 | $50,050 | $62,830 | $47,440 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $17.90 | $19.19 | $22.06 | $24.11 | $29.22 | $22.75 | 3,870 | 0.21 | 0.54 |
| Annual | $37,230 | $39,920 | $45,880 | $50,140 | $60,770 | $47,310 | ||||
| Indiana | Hourly | $18.22 | $20.33 | $23.76 | $27.39 | $29.14 | $24.19 | 3,740 | 1.17 | 2.99 |
| Annual | $37,890 | $42,290 | $49,420 | $56,970 | $60,620 | $50,320 | ||||
| Wisconsin | Hourly | $16.44 | $20.63 | $24.15 | $31.14 | $34.59 | $25.11 | 3,190 | 1.09 | 2.77 |
| Annual | $34,200 | $42,900 | $50,230 | $64,760 | $71,950 | $52,240 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | Hourly | $21.30 | $26.29 | $31.13 | $33.44 | $39.47 | $30.36 | 50 | 0.42 | 1.07 |
| Annual | $44,300 | $54,670 | $64,760 | $69,560 | $82,090 | $63,140 | ||||
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | Hourly | $24.18 | $25.60 | $31.14 | $32.81 | $34.30 | $29.77 | 450 | 4.81 | 12.30 |
| Annual | $50,300 | $53,240 | $64,760 | $68,250 | $71,340 | $61,930 | ||||
| Cedar Rapids, IA | Hourly | $20.77 | $22.44 | $31.02 | $31.02 | $36.40 | $28.65 | 110 | 0.79 | 2.02 |
| Annual | $43,200 | $46,670 | $64,520 | $64,520 | $75,720 | $59,580 | ||||
| Appleton, WI | Hourly | $21.52 | $24.35 | $29.79 | $31.25 | $31.25 | $28.20 | 250 | 2.04 | 5.21 |
| Annual | $44,770 | $50,650 | $61,960 | $64,990 | $64,990 | $58,660 | ||||
| Lincoln, NE | Hourly | $18.56 | $22.38 | $29.60 | $29.60 | $30.13 | $26.01 | 90 | 0.49 | 1.26 |
| Annual | $38,590 | $46,550 | $61,570 | $61,570 | $62,660 | $54,110 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $16.38 | $18.34 | $23.38 | $27.90 | $30.82 | $23.88 | 2,070 | 0.46 | 1.17 |
| Annual | $34,070 | $38,140 | $48,630 | $58,040 | $64,100 | $49,670 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $17.90 | $18.73 | $22.12 | $23.32 | $28.37 | $22.38 | 1,790 | 0.29 | 0.73 |
| Annual | $37,230 | $38,950 | $46,010 | $48,500 | $59,010 | $46,550 | ||||
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | Hourly | $19.19 | $22.00 | $23.35 | $32.48 | $32.68 | $26.46 | 1,680 | 0.58 | 1.48 |
| Annual | $39,920 | $45,760 | $48,570 | $67,570 | $67,970 | $55,040 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $18.37 | $20.96 | $23.36 | $30.21 | $35.12 | $25.20 | 1,460 | 0.36 | 0.92 |
| Annual | $38,210 | $43,590 | $48,590 | $62,830 | $73,060 | $52,410 | ||||
| Cleveland, OH | Hourly | $17.13 | $17.79 | $21.83 | $23.69 | $28.62 | $21.79 | 1,120 | 1.09 | 2.78 |
| Annual | $35,630 | $36,990 | $45,410 | $49,280 | $59,520 | $45,320 | ||||
Top industries employing extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Plastics Product Manufacturing employ 49.2% of extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic nationally (29,920 jobs) at a median $46,760 a year ($22.48 an hour), followed by Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing (10.0%) and Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing (7.6%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastics Product Manufacturing NAICS 326100 | 29,920 | 49.2% | $46,760 | $22.48 |
| Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing NAICS 331400 | 6,080 | 10.0% | $56,130 | $26.98 |
| Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing NAICS 335900 | 4,650 | 7.6% | $51,220 | $24.63 |
| Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing NAICS 331300 | 3,390 | 5.6% | $47,400 | $22.79 |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) NAICS 3320A1 | 3,290 | 5.4% | $46,630 | $22.42 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (60,840). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $37,750 for extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in May 2021 and $47,720 in May 2025, with employment of 59,490 and 60,840.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $37,750 | $18.15 | 59,490 |
| May 2022 | $39,970 | $19.22 | 63,490 |
| May 2023 | $44,390 | $21.34 | 63,370 |
| May 2024 | $46,980 | $22.59 | 65,700 |
| May 2025 | $47,720 | $22.94 | 60,840 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
46 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island profile | $29.50 | $61,350 | $47,740 | $74,270 | 430 | 0.86 | 2.19 |
| 2 | Vermont profile | $28.47 | $59,220 | $42,350 | $78,510 | 60 | 0.21 | 0.54 |
| 3 | North Carolina profile | $25.64 | $53,330 | $38,080 | $60,390 | 2,950 | 0.60 | 1.52 |
| 4 | Nebraska profile | $25.17 | $52,360 | $39,620 | $61,480 | 510 | 0.50 | 1.28 |
| 5 | Minnesota profile | $24.92 | $51,830 | $38,830 | $62,530 | 900 | 0.31 | 0.78 |
| 6 | New Jersey profile | $24.61 | $51,180 | $38,080 | $63,430 | 750 | 0.18 | 0.45 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania profile | $24.59 | $51,150 | $39,120 | $73,080 | 2,960 | 0.49 | 1.25 |
| 8 | Colorado profile | $24.57 | $51,110 | $41,020 | $60,720 | 240 | 0.09 | 0.22 |
| 9 | Massachusetts profile | $24.22 | $50,370 | $39,850 | $65,470 | 1,490 | 0.41 | 1.05 |
| 10 | Connecticut profile | $24.15 | $50,230 | $38,470 | $61,300 | 1,000 | 0.59 | 1.51 |
| 11 | Wisconsin profile | $24.15 | $50,230 | $34,200 | $71,950 | 3,190 | 1.09 | 2.77 |
| 12 | New Hampshire profile | $24.14 | $50,210 | $45,520 | $75,980 | 580 | 0.85 | 2.18 |
| 13 | Arkansas profile | $24.11 | $50,150 | $39,110 | $61,760 | 1,270 | 0.97 | 2.48 |
| 14 | Kentucky profile | $24.04 | $50,000 | $37,290 | $61,070 | 1,400 | 0.70 | 1.79 |
| 15 | Oregon profile | $23.87 | $49,650 | $39,010 | $78,720 | 440 | 0.22 | 0.57 |
| 16 | South Dakota profile | $23.86 | $49,620 | $39,740 | $61,200 | 50 | 0.10 | 0.26 |
| 17 | Indiana profile | $23.76 | $49,420 | $37,890 | $60,620 | 3,740 | 1.17 | 2.99 |
| 18 | South Carolina profile | $23.58 | $49,040 | $35,900 | $66,490 | 2,000 | 0.87 | 2.22 |
| 19 | Utah profile | $23.56 | $49,000 | $35,940 | $71,850 | 410 | 0.24 | 0.61 |
| 20 | New York profile | $23.52 | $48,930 | $37,380 | $59,500 | 1,400 | 0.14 | 0.37 |
| 21 | Illinois profile | $23.33 | $48,520 | $33,800 | $70,470 | 2,750 | 0.45 | 1.15 |
| 22 | Georgia profile | $23.27 | $48,410 | $37,550 | $67,970 | 2,560 | 0.52 | 1.34 |
| 23 | Louisiana profile | $23.04 | $47,930 | $33,660 | $108,530 | 580 | 0.30 | 0.76 |
| 24 | Alabama profile | $22.93 | $47,690 | $31,540 | $66,680 | 1,200 | 0.57 | 1.45 |
| 25 | Tennessee profile | $22.86 | $47,550 | $35,000 | $63,710 | 2,980 | 0.91 | 2.32 |
| 26 | Iowa profile | $22.71 | $47,240 | $36,240 | $64,520 | 450 | 0.29 | 0.74 |
| 27 | Washington profile | $22.71 | $47,230 | $39,670 | $61,690 | 1,080 | 0.31 | 0.78 |
| 28 | Maryland profile | $22.47 | $46,730 | $33,910 | $60,360 | 270 | 0.10 | 0.25 |
| 29 | Maine profile | $22.38 | $46,550 | $36,910 | $65,490 | 90 | 0.14 | 0.36 |
| 30 | Ohio profile | $22.28 | $46,340 | $35,850 | $59,640 | 5,020 | 0.91 | 2.31 |
| 31 | Kansas profile | $22.25 | $46,270 | $34,870 | $61,750 | 1,140 | 0.79 | 2.02 |
| 32 | Delaware profile | $22.18 | $46,140 | $36,930 | $59,480 | 470 | 0.97 | 2.48 |
| 33 | Missouri profile | $22.14 | $46,050 | $35,630 | $61,870 | 1,040 | 0.36 | 0.91 |
| 34 | Wyoming profile | $22.09 | $45,950 | $37,820 | $57,520 | 80 | 0.30 | 0.76 |
| 35 | Texas profile | $22.06 | $45,890 | $36,770 | $62,830 | 4,070 | 0.29 | 0.74 |
| 36 | California profile | $22.06 | $45,880 | $37,230 | $60,770 | 3,870 | 0.21 | 0.54 |
| 37 | New Mexico profile | $21.96 | $45,670 | $40,160 | $56,710 | 50 | 0.06 | 0.15 |
| 38 | Virginia profile | $21.74 | $45,220 | $38,320 | $58,930 | 1,490 | 0.36 | 0.92 |
| 39 | Michigan profile | $21.70 | $45,140 | $35,510 | $59,150 | 1,800 | 0.41 | 1.04 |
| 40 | Arizona profile | $21.64 | $45,000 | $35,540 | $52,800 | 910 | 0.28 | 0.72 |
| 41 | West Virginia profile | $21.40 | $44,510 | $36,270 | $56,790 | 540 | 0.77 | 1.96 |
| 42 | Mississippi profile | $21.26 | $44,220 | $36,570 | $53,850 | 550 | 0.47 | 1.21 |
| 43 | Nevada profile | $21.26 | $44,210 | $36,300 | $57,190 | 260 | 0.17 | 0.43 |
| 44 | Florida profile | $19.10 | $39,730 | $31,130 | $55,160 | 1,190 | 0.12 | 0.31 |
| 45 | Oklahoma profile | $18.66 | $38,820 | $35,500 | $53,680 | 490 | 0.29 | 0.74 |
| 46 | Idaho profile | $16.68 | $34,700 | $32,950 | $49,100 | ** | ** | ** |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (51-4020), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Production Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 51-4021 Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 51-4021, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 51-4021.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.