Occupations · Production
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Set up, operate, or tend machines, such as glass-forming machines, plodder machines, and tuber machines, to shape and form products such as glassware, food, rubber, soap, brick, tile, clay, wax, tobacco, or cosmetics.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-9041.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 66% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $41,630 | 2,260 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $45,530 | 1,470 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $37,100 | 1,250 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $43,910 | 1,230 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $46,080 | 1,020 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $57,580 | 870 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $46,010 | 800 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $45,610 | 760 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $46,770 | 740 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $49,190 | 720 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $49,310 | 600 |
| Cleveland, OH | $43,850 | 600 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients.
- Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment.
- Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales.
- Activate machines to shape or form products, such as candy bars, light bulbs, balloons, or insulation panels.
- Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions.
- Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products.
- Notify supervisors when extruded filaments fail to meet standards.
- Record and maintain production data, such as meter readings, and quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced.
- Select and install machine components, such as dies, molds, and cutters, according to specifications, using hand tools and measuring devices.
- Review work orders, specifications, or instructions to determine materials, ingredients, procedures, components, settings, and adjustments for extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines.
- Turn controls to adjust machine functions, such as regulating air pressure, creating vacuums, and adjusting coolant flow.
- Clean dies, arbors, compression chambers, and molds, using swabs, sponges, or air hoses.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2016-07
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2016-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 4
No longer listed 1
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| fibre machine tender | 8181.6 | broader |
| extrusion machine operator | 8121.2 | broader |
| glass forming machine operator | 8181.8 | broader |
| cake press operator | 8142.2 | broader |
| auger press operator | 8181.1 | broader |
| candy machine operator | 8160.11 | broader |
| chocolate moulding operator | 8160.16 | broader |
| oilseed presser | 7514.3 | broader |
| plodder operator | 8131.18 | broader |
| record press operator | 8142.13 | broader |
| V-belt builder | 8141.1.9 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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