Occupations · Production
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-4022.00
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 81% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $56,690 | 330 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $57,150 | 300 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $62,590 | 190 |
| Cleveland, OH | $50,200 | 150 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $48,090 | 150 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $53,350 | 150 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $49,560 | 130 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $38,220 | 110 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $51,770 | 100 |
| Wichita, KS | $50,900 | 90 |
| Columbus, OH | $53,230 | 90 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $44,870 | 90 |
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.
- Read work orders or blueprints to determine specified tolerances and sequences of operations for machine setup.
- Position and move metal wires or workpieces through a series of dies that compress and shape stock to form die impressions.
- Measure and inspect machined parts to ensure conformance to product specifications.
- Set up, operate, or tend presses and forging machines to perform hot or cold forging by flattening, straightening, bending, cutting, piercing, or other operations to taper, shape, or form metal.
- Turn handles or knobs to set pressures and depths of ram strokes and to synchronize machine operations.
- Install, adjust, and remove dies, synchronizing cams, forging hammers, and stop guides, using overhead cranes or other hoisting devices, and hand tools.
- Start machines to produce sample workpieces, and observe operations to detect machine malfunctions and to verify that machine setups conform to specifications.
- Confer with other workers about machine setups and operational specifications.
- Trim and compress finished forgings to specified tolerances.
- Remove dies from machines when production runs are finished.
- Repair, maintain, and replace parts on dies.
- Select, align, and bolt positioning fixtures, stops, and specified dies to rams and anvils, forging rolls, or presses and hammers.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| swaging machine operator | 7223.23 | broader |
| drop forging hammer worker | 7221.2 | broader |
| mechanical forging press worker | 7221.4 | broader |
| upsetting machine operator | 7223.25 | broader |
| metal drawing machine operator | 8121.4 | broader |
| hydraulic forging press worker | 7221.3 | broader |
| straightening machine operator | 7223.22 | broader |
| stamping press operator | 7223.21 | broader |
| spring maker | 8121.6 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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