Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-4191 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$48,755
$23.44/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Heat Treating Equipment Setters salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$35K
P25$41K
P50$49K
P75$58K
P90$66K
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Demand: STABLE. Demand is stable -- manufacturing openings are at 3.7% (JOLTS, June 2026). A standard market: pay near the median, no urgency premium needed.
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Merit budget: Wages in manufacturing are rising about 3.3% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.9-3.4% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $48,755 to $58,406 (market median to the 75th percentile). Anchor on the median.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Heat Treating Equipment Setters pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 2.8% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.3% wage growth of Manufacturing (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · STABLE
Manufacturing is running a 3.7% job-openings rate with quits at 1.5% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted up from 3.4% to 3.7% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 1.9 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is narrower than typical, so pay is fairly standardized; small differences move a candidate across the market.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback. Quits steady at 1.5%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is $48,755 per year ($23.44/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $40,664 and $58,406 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $66,352 per year. There are approximately 14,000 heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Set up, operate, or tend heating equipment, such as heat-treating furnaces, flame-hardening machines, induction machines, soaking pits, or vacuum equipment to temper, harden, anneal, or heat treat metal or plastic objects.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-12.8%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
1K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
15K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities
NAICS 332800
3K
$48,040
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)
NAICS 3320A1
2K
$44,580
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)
NAICS 3330A1
1K
$51,420
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing
NAICS 336400
940
$57,140
Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing
NAICS 331100
630
$51,380
Wage range across top 5 industries: $44,580 to $57,140 (28% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$16.92
$35,194
P25
$19.55
$40,664
P50MEDIAN
$23.44
$48,755
P75
$28.08
$58,406
P90
$31.90
$66,352
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.7%
Quits Rate
1.5%
Manufacturing openings eased to 481K (-36K) in June, rate 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback (-55K). Quits held at 1.5%. The sector remains stable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary?
The national median salary for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is $48,755 per year ($23.44/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $40,664 and $58,406 annually.
How much do top-earning heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?
The 90th percentile salary for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is $66,352 per year ($31.90/hr). The 75th percentile is $58,406 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic?
Entry-level Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (10th percentile) earn approximately $35,194 per year ($16.92/hr). The 25th percentile is $40,664 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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