Model makers, metal and plastic
November 2004 employment and annual earnings distribution, wage and salary workers
Model Makers, Metal and Plastic: Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, milling and engraving machines, and jig borers to make working models of metal or plastic objects. Include template makers.
Earnings for machine operators can vary by size of the company, union or nonunion status, industry, and skill level and experience of the operator. Also, temporary employees, who are being hired in greater numbers, usually get paid less than company-employed workers. The median hourly earnings in 2002 for a variety of machine setters, operators, and tenders—metal and plastic were as follows:
| Model makers, metal and plastic | $18.27 |
| Patternmakers, metal and plastic | 16.09 |
| Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders | 14.79 |
| Lay-out workers, metal and plastic | 14.79 |
| Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 14.55 |
| Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners | 14.14 |
| Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 14.04 |
| Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 13.79 |
| Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 13.62 |
| Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 13.56 |
| Pourers and casters, metal | 13.40 |
| Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 13.23 |
| Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 12.64 |
| Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 12.56 |
| Foundry mold and coremakers | 12.55 |
| Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 12.44 |
| Plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 12.22 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 11.81 |
| Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 11.17 |
| All other metal workers and plastic workers | 13.65 |
Machine setters, operators, and tenders—metal and plastic held about 1.3 million jobs in 2002. Approximately 9 of 10 jobs were found in manufacturing. About 38 percent of all employment was in these manufacturing industries: transportation equipment manufacturing, plastics and rubber products manufacturing, and machinery manufacturing. The following tabulation shows the distribution of employment of machine setters, operators, and tenders—metal and plastic by detailed occupation.
| Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 283,000 |
| Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 151,000 |
| Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 104,000 |
| Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 99,000 |
| Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 98,000 |
| Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 75,000 |
| Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 53,000 |
| Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 45,000 |
| Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 44,000 |
| Plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 44,000 |
| Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 31,000 |
| Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 29,000 |
| Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners | 26,000 |
| Foundry mold and coremakers | 23,000 |
| Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders | 18,000 |
| Pourers and casters, metal | 13,000 |
| Lay-out workers, metal and plastic | 13,000 |
| Model makers, metal and plastic | 8,500 |
| Patternmakers, metal and plastic | 6,500 |
| All other metal workers and plastic workers | 104,000 |
(from the Occupational Outlook Handbook: Machine setters, operators, and tenders—metal and plastic)
See more recent statistics for employed workers below.
November 2004 employment and annual earnings distribution, wage and salary workers
National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Earnings
Alabama Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Wisconsin
State maximums: employment earnings: mean 10th 25th 50th 75th 90th
Metro maximums: employment earnings: mean 10th 25th 50th 75th 90th
State maximums: employment earnings: mean 10th 25th 50th 75th 90th
Metro maximums: employment earnings: mean 10th 25th 50th 75th 90th
| Model makers, metal and plastic | |||||
| Percentile annual earnings, $ | |||||
| 10th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th | |
| National | |||||
| U.S. employment: 7,990 mean earnings: $45,510 | 22,030 | 32,240 | 44,770 | 61,810 | 69,580 |
| State and Metro Area | |||||
| Alabama (ACS) (EAG) employment: 100 mean earnings: $36,970 | 19,760 | 23,770 | 35,550 | 45,740 | 55,840 |
| Arkansas (ACS) (EAG) employment: n.a. mean earnings: $44,140 | 31,440 | 37,470 | 45,890 | 52,030 | 55,770 |
| California (ACS) (EAG) employment: 320 mean earnings: $39,460 | 24,030 | 29,890 | 37,800 | 46,160 | 58,210 |
| Los Angeles - Long Beach, CA employment: 130 mean earnings: $36,450 | 24,260 | 30,830 | 36,500 | 42,450 | 47,450 |
| Orange County, CA employment: n.a. mean earnings: $34,440 | 23,040 | 24,810 | 27,690 | 42,230 | 60,320 |
| Colorado (ACS) (EAG) employment: n.a. mean earnings: $39,470 | 23,850 | 28,180 | 38,720 | 49,350 | 57,150 |
| Denver, CO employment: n.a. mean earnings: $32,400 | 22,780 | 25,310 | 30,170 | 37,480 | 47,800 |
| Connecticut (ACS) (EAG) employment: 90 mean earnings: $50,180 | 30,670 | 45,960 | 52,280 | 58,050 | 66,720 |
| Florida (ACS) (EAG) employment: 120 mean earnings: $42,460 | 30,570 | 35,790 | 41,730 | 49,130 | 57,560 |
| Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater, FL employment: 70 mean earnings: $44,570 | 31,900 | 37,450 | 43,180 | 52,200 | 59,900 |
| Georgia (ACS) (EAG) employment: 40 mean earnings: $34,270 | 19,740 | 22,190 | 35,010 | 43,450 | 49,480 |
| Illinois (ACS) (EAG) employment: 340 mean earnings: $40,410 | 16,850 | 29,310 | 40,010 | 53,320 | 64,190 |
| Chicago, IL employment: 210 mean earnings: $40,190 | 16,330 | 29,090 | 38,560 | 55,070 | 66,780 |
| Peoria - Pekin, IL employment: 40 mean earnings: $39,650 | 23,470 | 26,840 | 46,740 | 52,570 | 56,070 |
| Indiana (ACS) (EAG) employment: 390 mean earnings: $44,440 | 22,540 | 34,810 | 44,490 | 55,690 | 66,100 |
| Indianapolis, IN employment: n.a. mean earnings: $46,100 | 21,790 | 38,350 | 46,170 | 56,930 | 67,620 |
| South Bend, IN employment: n.a. mean earnings: $41,310 | 20,550 | 36,280 | 44,750 | 51,520 | 55,500 |
| Iowa (ACS) (EAG) employment: 50 mean earnings: $38,380 | 23,200 | 36,250 | 40,410 | 44,230 | 48,440 |
| Kansas (ACS) (EAG) employment: 70 mean earnings: $35,620 | 18,760 | 22,470 | 31,870 | 50,250 | 55,200 |
| Wichita, KS employment: 40 mean earnings: $41,850 | 22,590 | 30,210 | 47,050 | 52,420 | 55,650 |
| Kentucky (ACS) (EAG) employment: 70 mean earnings: $39,920 | 22,410 | 31,820 | 36,660 | 45,270 | 65,730 |
| Louisiana (ACS) (EAG) employment: 80 mean earnings: $35,840 | 15,950 | 20,840 | 32,170 | 51,340 | 63,920 |
| Maryland (ACS) (EAG) employment: 40 mean earnings: $52,200 | 32,650 | 37,940 | 54,670 | 66,570 | 71,700 |
| Massachusetts (ACS) (EAG) employment: 200 mean earnings: $44,440 | 24,220 | 36,380 | 46,010 | 53,210 | 60,020 |
| Boston, MA - NH employment: 80 mean earnings: $45,460 | 23,570 | 28,600 | 48,660 | 55,210 | 66,930 |
| Minnesota (ACS) (EAG) employment: 170 mean earnings: $44,410 | 31,100 | 36,190 | 44,400 | 52,590 | 58,150 |
| Minneapolis - St. Paul, MN - WI employment: 140 mean earnings: $46,100 | 32,800 | 38,760 | 46,440 | 53,740 | 58,950 |
| Mississippi (ACS) (EAG) employment: n.a. mean earnings: $46,540 | 33,380 | 39,410 | 47,140 | 54,220 | 58,470 |
| Missouri (ACS) (EAG) employment: 160 mean earnings: $35,470 | 20,920 | 25,150 | 31,710 | 46,000 | 58,460 |
| Kansas City, MO - KS employment: 40 mean earnings: $40,950 | 26,840 | 30,830 | 36,070 | 53,170 | 58,430 |
| Nebraska (ACS) (EAG) employment: 60 mean earnings: $29,990 | 24,230 | 26,570 | 30,340 | 34,190 | 36,730 |
| New Hampshire (ACS) (EAG) employment: 50 mean earnings: $37,780 | 28,220 | 31,810 | 36,180 | 43,250 | 52,240 |
| New Jersey (ACS) (EAG) employment: 80 mean earnings: $42,020 | 26,140 | 31,880 | 40,500 | 51,410 | 62,150 |
| New York (ACS) (EAG) employment: 290 mean earnings: $46,640 | 31,370 | 39,930 | 45,830 | 54,880 | 66,710 |
| Buffalo - Niagara Falls, NY employment: 140 mean earnings: $53,500 | 40,170 | 45,130 | 52,350 | 63,750 | 70,650 |
| Rochester, NY employment: 100 mean earnings: $37,480 | 17,880 | 30,220 | 40,490 | 45,200 | 49,740 |
| North Carolina (ACS) (EAG) employment: 170 mean earnings: $34,740 | 22,810 | 29,660 | 33,590 | 40,550 | 46,870 |
| Greensboro - - Winston - Salem - - High Point, NC employment: 30 mean earnings: $44,640 | 37,200 | 39,570 | 43,400 | 49,760 | 56,310 |
| Ohio (ACS) (EAG) employment: 460 mean earnings: $52,800 | 24,660 | 37,200 | 61,370 | 67,890 | 71,800 |
| Cincinnati, OH - KY - IN employment: 50 mean earnings: $45,050 | 16,590 | 30,670 | 45,540 | 64,520 | 70,660 |
| Pennsylvania (ACS) (EAG) employment: 790 mean earnings: $31,810 | 15,860 | 17,760 | 29,300 | 39,780 | 62,190 |
| Allentown - Bethlehem - Easton, PA employment: n.a. mean earnings: $25,880 | 15,240 | 16,360 | 18,220 | 38,380 | 48,770 |
| Philadelphia, PA - NJ employment: n.a. mean earnings: $38,350 | 16,740 | 23,740 | 34,490 | 50,600 | 69,570 |
| Pittsburgh, PA employment: 50 mean earnings: $32,160 | 24,970 | 29,050 | 32,240 | 35,580 | 41,630 |
| Rhode Island (ACS) (EAG) employment: 130 mean earnings: $42,970 | 25,660 | 35,400 | 45,140 | 52,350 | 56,610 |
| Providence - Fall River - Warwick, RI - MA employment: 190 mean earnings: $43,310 | 28,880 | 37,340 | 44,320 | 51,530 | 55,780 |
| South Carolina (ACS) (EAG) employment: 100 mean earnings: $39,220 | 28,130 | 32,300 | 39,070 | 45,310 | 54,390 |
| Tennessee (ACS) (EAG) employment: 180 mean earnings: $34,270 | 19,550 | 25,530 | 36,420 | 42,440 | 46,030 |
| Johnson City - Kingsport - Bristol, TN - VA employment: n.a. mean earnings: $23,280 | 15,380 | 17,200 | 19,900 | 22,500 | 40,560 |
| Texas (ACS) (EAG) employment: 140 mean earnings: $31,840 | 18,170 | 22,320 | 28,700 | 41,620 | 49,920 |
| Dallas, TX employment: 50 mean earnings: $35,960 | 20,520 | 26,870 | 35,080 | 46,650 | 53,740 |
| Utah (ACS) (EAG) employment: n.a. mean earnings: $35,870 | 21,240 | 26,610 | 38,370 | 42,840 | 48,160 |
| Salt Lake City - Ogden, UT employment: n.a. mean earnings: $41,730 | 36,240 | 38,100 | 41,190 | 44,280 | 51,070 |
| Virginia (ACS) (EAG) employment: 50 mean earnings: $32,750 | 16,390 | 20,850 | 27,760 | 42,510 | 57,100 |
| Wisconsin (ACS) (EAG) employment: 340 mean earnings: $42,970 | 30,190 | 35,130 | 41,940 | 51,320 | 58,200 |
| Milwaukee - Waukesha, WI employment: 120 mean earnings: $43,890 | 30,330 | 34,100 | 42,160 | 52,820 | 63,910 |
source: Occupational Employment Statistics Program; about these estimates
The highlighted text indicates the maximum values in each column among the states and metropolitan areas.
The (ACS) links lead to data from the American Community Survey from the Census Bureau.
The (EAG) links lead to U.S. Economy at a Glance data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.