Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 51-4191

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Median pay sits 35% below the mid peer in Production Occupations (neighbors include Power Distributors and Dispatchers, Plant and System Operators, All Other, Model Makers, Metal and Plastic, Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: Power Distributors and Dispatchers ($107K) , Plant and System Operators, All Other ($62K) , Model Makers, Metal and Plastic ($63K) , Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers ($97K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-4191 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Read production schedules and work orders to determine processing sequences, furnace temperatures, and heat cycle requirements for object…
  2. 2. Determine flame temperatures, current frequencies, heating cycles, and induction heating coils needed, based on degree of hardness requir…
  3. 3. Record times that parts are removed from furnaces to document that objects have attained specified temperatures for specified times
  4. 4. Determine types and temperatures of baths and quenching media needed to attain specified part hardness, toughness, and ductility, using h…
  5. 5. Examine parts to ensure metal shades and colors conform to specifications, using knowledge of metal heat-treating
  6. 6. Adjust controls to maintain temperatures and heating times, using thermal instruments and charts, dials and gauges of furnaces, and color…
  7. 7. Set and adjust speeds of reels and conveyors for prescribed time cycles to pass parts through continuous furnaces
  8. 8. Start conveyors and open furnace doors to load stock, or signal crane operators to uncover soaking pits and lower ingots into them
  9. 9. Set up and operate or tend machines, such as furnaces, baths, flame-hardening machines, and electronic induction machines, that harden, a…
  10. 10. Load parts into containers and place containers on conveyors to be inserted into furnaces, or insert parts into furnaces
  11. 11. Remove parts from furnaces after specified times, and air dry or cool parts in water, oil brine, or other baths
  12. 12. Test parts for hardness, using hardness testing equipment, or by examining and feeling samples

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-4191 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Production and Processing. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 3.8
  2. 2. Operation and Control 3.8
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.1
  4. 4. Speaking 3.1
  5. 5. Monitoring 3.1
  6. 6. Quality Control Analysis 3.1
  7. 7. Critical Thinking 3.0
  8. 8. Equipment Maintenance 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Production and Processing 3.9
  2. 2. Mathematics 3.3
  3. 3. Education and Training 2.9
  4. 4. Administration and Management 2.8
  5. 5. Chemistry 2.7
  6. 6. Mechanical 2.6
Pay vs Production Occupations peers
-35%
vs mid peer median $74,450
This role $48,750/yr
$49K
National median
↓ -13%
Growth 2024-2034
1,200
Annual openings
14,000
Estimated US jobs
Power Distributors and Dispatchers
Highest-pay peer · $107K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

1. Colorado $58,300
2. Oklahoma $51,680
3. New Hampshire $52,250
4. New York $52,940
5. Washington $61,990
6. Virginia $55,070
7. Oregon $60,280
8. Tennessee $54,930
9. Ohio $52,880
10. West Virginia $56,880

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Model Makers, Metal and Plastic $63,340
  2. 2. Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers $96,710
  3. 3. Tool and Die Makers $64,050
  4. 4. Power Distributors and Dispatchers $106,730
  5. 5. Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers $65,380
  6. 6. Plant and System Operators, All Other $62,470

Among Production Occupations peers on this card, Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic sits 35% below the mid peer median ($74,450). Its own median is $48,750.

Employment Projections expect -13% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Colorado at $58,300. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Power Distributors and Dispatchers at $106,730. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay-rank #42 in Production Occupations

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic sits at pay-rank #42 of 105 detailed Production Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pays 35% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 51-4191

Colorado · top state for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

$58K published median

Oklahoma · #2 state pay

$52K · behind Colorado

Power Distributors and Dispatchers

Highest-pay peer vs Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · $107K

Plant and System Operators, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · $62K

Compare Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Against another occupation

Power Distributors and Dispatchers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic mid-table among Production Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #42 of 105 detailed Production Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Prepress Technicians and Workers ($49K), Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers ($49K), Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders ($49K), Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders ($49K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. Leading ones include: Read production schedules and work orders to determine processing sequences, furnace temperatures, and heat cycle requirements for object…; Determine flame temperatures, current frequencies, heating cycles, and induction heating coils needed, based on degree of hardness requir…; Record times that parts are removed from furnaces to document that objects have attained specified temperatures for specified times; Determine types and temperatures of baths and quenching media needed to attain specified part hardness, toughness, and ductility, using h…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic? ▼
For SOC 51-4191, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (3.8), Operation and Control (3.8), Active Listening (3.1), Speaking (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Production and Processing, Mathematics, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $48,750 as the national median for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. The published 10th-90th range is $35,180 to $66,350. Beside Power Distributors and Dispatchers ($106,730), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is -13%. Projected annual openings: about 1,200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic? ▼
Colorado ($58,300), Oklahoma ($51,680), New Hampshire ($52,250) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 51-4191. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics