Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic Salaries by State

Q: How much do molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic make in the U.S.?

The median molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic salary in the United States is $46,170 per year (mean $47,500), and about 80% earn between $35,850 and $61,530.

Q: How much do molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic make per hour?

Roughly $23 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $47,500 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Q: Which state pays molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic the most?

Hawaii has the highest average pay for molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic at $60,620 per year (median $55,990).

Q: What is the job outlook for molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic?

Employment is projected to change +6.2% from 2024 to 2034 (Faster than average), with about 5,500 openings per year.

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastics across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $47,500 ≈ $23/hr

National median salary $46,170

Total employment 33,190 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +6.2% Faster than average

Annual openings 5,500 per year (avg)

Employment 2024→2034 41,700 → 44,300 (+2,600)

Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

AK ME WI VT NH WA ID MT ND MN IL MI NY MA OR NV WY SD IA IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA UT CO NE MO KY WV VA MD DE AZ NM KS AR TN NC SC DC OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL

Mean annual wage $37,000–$44,000 $44,000–$46,000 $46,000–$48,000 $48,000–$52,000 $52,000–$61,000 U.S. mean $47,500

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

Hawaii$60,620
Montana$55,680
Washington$55,060
Massachusetts$53,630
Connecticut$53,150

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

Arkansas$37,280
Mississippi$37,950
Wyoming$40,440
Alabama$40,460
Kentucky$41,360

State Rankings

⇄ Compare specific states

#	State	Mean	Median	Hourly	vs. U.S.	Employment
1	Hawaii	$60,620	$55,990	$29	+27.6%	40
2	Montana	$55,680	$57,860	$27	+17.2%	150
3	Washington	$55,060	$51,780	$26	+15.9%	1,130
4	Massachusetts	$53,630	$50,550	$26	+12.9%	1,200
5	Connecticut	$53,150	$52,520	$26	+11.9%	170
6	Oregon	$52,700	$52,740	$25	+10.9%	410
7	California	$52,280	$49,190	$25	+10.1%	3,590
8	New Jersey	$52,270	$47,360	$25	+10%	620
9	Maryland	$52,260	$50,360	$25	+10%	110
10	New Hampshire	$52,100	$51,470	$25	+9.7%	160
11	Colorado	$51,630	$49,530	$25	+8.7%	390
12	Vermont	$51,060	$48,660	$25	+7.5%	240
13	Rhode Island	$50,940	$47,610	$24	+7.2%	—
14	Louisiana	$50,890	$46,870	$24	+7.1%	100
15	Wisconsin	$50,720	$48,030	$24	+6.8%	550
16	Kansas	$50,320	$47,360	$24	+5.9%	680
17	New York	$49,240	$45,940	$24	+3.7%	1,150
18	Maine	$48,410	$48,640	$23	+1.9%	120
19	Delaware	$48,250	$47,940	$23	+1.6%	90
20	Arizona	$48,200	$49,060	$23	+1.5%	470
21	Illinois	$48,150	$47,180	$23	+1.4%	1,230
22	Indiana	$48,120	$46,400	$23	+1.3%	1,520
23	Missouri	$47,170	$46,380	$23	-0.7%	690
24	Minnesota	$46,970	$45,790	$23	-1.1%	900
25	Nebraska	$46,890	$46,220	$23	-1.3%	240
26	Georgia	$46,700	$47,160	$22	-1.7%	760
27	Pennsylvania	$46,700	$45,310	$22	-1.7%	1,690
28	South Carolina	$46,590	$46,110	$22	-1.9%	550
29	Ohio	$46,540	$44,560	$22	-2%	1,560
30	Iowa	$46,250	$46,220	$22	-2.6%	340
31	Nevada	$46,240	$45,020	$22	-2.7%	430
32	North Dakota	$45,980	$46,170	$22	-3.2%	60
33	New Mexico	$45,670	$46,970	$22	-3.9%	—
34	Virginia	$45,310	$45,410	$22	-4.6%	720
35	Florida	$45,260	$45,030	$22	-4.7%	2,410
36	Michigan	$45,130	$45,250	$22	-5%	1,470
37	Tennessee	$45,070	$45,860	$22	-5.1%	880
38	Utah	$44,540	$43,440	$21	-6.2%	710
39	Oklahoma	$44,220	$46,460	$21	-6.9%	220
40	West Virginia	$43,880	$43,300	$21	-7.6%	260
41	Idaho	$42,990	$42,620	$21	-9.5%	210
42	Texas	$41,900	$40,010	$20	-11.8%	2,550
43	North Carolina	$41,690	$38,190	$20	-12.2%	550
44	Kentucky	$41,360	$41,590	$20	-12.9%	370
45	Alabama	$40,460	$36,730	$19	-14.8%	820
46	Wyoming	$40,440	$37,510	$19	-14.9%	80
47	Mississippi	$37,950	$37,580	$18	-20.1%	210
48	Arkansas	$37,280	$35,620	$18	-21.5%	190

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 167 metro areas.

#	Metro area	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Vineland, NJ	$68,490	$62,730	150
2	Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area	$66,340	$59,690	130
3	Bozeman, MT	$61,010	$58,260	50
4	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$60,130	$62,680	130
5	Modesto, CA	$59,990	$64,810	70
6	New Orleans-Metairie, LA	$59,320	$57,640	40
7	Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area	$58,900	$54,870	70
8	Colorado Springs, CO	$58,570	$59,900	40
9	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$57,300	$58,630	400
10	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$56,770	$57,740	660

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastics (BLS OEWS, by median).

#	Industry	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing	$64,210	$62,480	30
2	Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS	$63,290	$63,050	60
3	Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS	$60,940	$60,160	60
4	Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)	$60,940	$61,930	50
5	Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	$60,940	$61,930	50
6	Sector 99 - Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS	$60,940	$60,160	60
7	Dairy Product Manufacturing	$59,990	$54,560	60
8	Beverage Manufacturing	$56,180	$56,880	30
9	Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing	$55,560	$53,300	50
10	Food Manufacturing	$55,190	$52,710	190
11	Mining (except Oil and Gas)	$52,720	$56,890	100
12	Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying	$52,720	$56,890	100

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K

11,301

$10-20k

2,654

$20-30k

2,672

$30-40k

4,096

$40-50k

2,550

$50-60k

2,571

$60-70k

1,589

$70-80k

975

$80-90k

1,149

$90-100k

$100-110k

360

$110-120k

194

$120-130k

$130-140k

$180-190k

$200k+

112

Pay by age band

16-24

$18,242

25-34

$34,317

35-44

$41,718

45-54

$41,509

55-64

$29,196

65+

$13,233

Education level

Regular high school diploma

$32,031

Bachelors Degree

$26,357

1 or more years of college credit, no degree

$21,917

Some college, but less than 1 year

$21,923

GED or alternative credential

$28,238

Associates Degree

$30,306

Grade 6

$41,067

Masters Degree

$29,735

No schooling completed

$29,811

Grade 5

$13,448

Grade 9

$26,919

12th grade - no diploma

$103

Grade 11

$25,961

Grade 10

$9,787

Grade 7

$53,015

Grade 8

$25,384

Grade 2

$18,555

Doctorate degree

$178,272

Nursery school, preschool

$21,206

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time

16,296 · $45,963

Part-time

3,868 · $27,308

Race / ethnicity

White

$30,962

Two or More Races

$19,294

Other

$30,141

Black

$26,471

Asian

$27,179

American Indian

$50,976

Top fields of study

Fine Arts

$51,126

General Business

$16,616

Psychology

$49,827

Studio Arts

$17,895

Miscellaneous Social Sciences

—

Art And Music Education

$16,666

Nursing

—

Construction Services

$10,195

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Operation and Control

3.0

Operations Monitoring

2.9

Reading Comprehension

2.9

Active Listening

2.9

Monitoring

2.8

Speaking

2.8

Quality Control Analysis

2.8

Critical Thinking

2.6

Time Management

2.6

Writing

2.6

Social Perceptiveness

2.6

Coordination

2.6

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic make in the U.S.?

The median molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic salary in the United States is $46,170 per year (mean $47,500), and about 80% earn between $35,850 and $61,530.

How much do molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic make per hour?

Roughly $23 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $47,500 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic the most?

Hawaii has the highest average pay for molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic at $60,620 per year (median $55,990).

What is the job outlook for molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic?

Employment is projected to change +6.2% from 2024 to 2034 (Faster than average), with about 5,500 openings per year.