Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 51-7031

Model Makers, Wood

The published band from $34,800 to $98,050 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Power Plant Operators.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Model Makers, Wood: Power Plant Operators ($102K) , Plant and System Operators, All Other ($62K) , Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic ($64K) , 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 Model Makers, Wood publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-7031 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Read blueprints, drawings, or written specifications, and consult with designers to determine sizes and shapes of patterns and required m…
  2. 2. Fit, fasten, and assemble wood parts together to form patterns, models, or sections, using glue, nails, dowels, bolts, screws, and other…
  3. 3. Verify dimensions and contours of models during hand-forming processes, using templates and measuring devices
  4. 4. Trim, smooth, and shape surfaces, and plane, shave, file, scrape, and sand models to attain specified shapes, using hand tools
  5. 5. Plan, lay out, and draw outlines of units, sectional patterns, or full-scale mock-ups of products
  6. 6. Construct wooden models, patterns, templates, full scale mock-ups, and molds for parts of products and production tools
  7. 7. Select wooden stock, determine layouts, and mark layouts of parts on stock, using precision equipment such as scribers, squares, and prot…
  8. 8. Mark identifying information on patterns, parts, and templates to indicate assembly methods and details
  9. 9. Set up, operate, and adjust a variety of woodworking machines such as bandsaws and planers to cut and shape sections, parts, and patterns…
  10. 10. Maintain pattern records for reference
  11. 11. Build jigs that can be used as guides for assembling oversized or special types of box shooks
  12. 12. Issue patterns to designated machine operators

Model Makers, Wood: O*NET ranks Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-7031 - lead skill Monitoring at 3.1 ; lead knowledge Production and Processing. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Monitoring 3.1
  2. 2. Operations Monitoring 3.1
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 3.0
  4. 4. Speaking 3.0
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.0
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 3.0
  7. 7. Time Management 3.0
  8. 8. Active Listening 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Production and Processing 4.0
  2. 2. Design 3.8
  3. 3. Building and Construction 3.6
  4. 4. Engineering and Technology 3.4
  5. 5. Mathematics 3.4
  6. 6. Administration and Management 3.4
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$34,800 to $98,050
median $56,550 · ~2.8× spread
$57K
National median
↓ -5%
Growth 2024-2034
100
Annual openings
280
Estimated US jobs
Power Plant Operators
Highest-pay peer · $102K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Model Makers, Wood

1. Ohio $35,900

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Power Plant Operators $102,040
  2. 2. Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic $63,870
  3. 3. Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers $96,710
  4. 4. Plant and System Operators, All Other $62,470
  5. 5. Chemical Plant and System Operators $78,120
  6. 6. Gas Plant Operators $87,820

The OEWS band for Model Makers, Wood runs from $34,800 (10th) to $98,050 (90th), about 2.8× wide, with median $56,550. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -5% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 100 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: Ohio at $35,900. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Power Plant Operators at $102,040. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Model Makers, Wood pay-rank #22 in Production Occupations

Among 105 detailed Production Occupations with a published OEWS median, Model Makers, Wood is pay-rank #22, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third 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.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Model Makers, Wood is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Model Makers, Wood salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 51-7031

Ohio · top state for Model Makers, Wood

$36K published median

Power Plant Operators

Highest-pay peer vs Model Makers, Wood · $102K

Plant and System Operators, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Model Makers, Wood · $62K

Compare Model Makers, Wood

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Model Makers, Wood with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Production Occupations titles sit near Model Makers, Wood at the top of the pay table? ▼
Model Makers, Wood is pay-rank #22 of 105 detailed Production Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Tire Builders ($57K), Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic ($58K), Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders ($58K), Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders ($54K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do model makers, wood do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Model Makers, Wood. Leading ones include: Read blueprints, drawings, or written specifications, and consult with designers to determine sizes and shapes of patterns and required m…; Fit, fasten, and assemble wood parts together to form patterns, models, or sections, using glue, nails, dowels, bolts, screws, and other…; Verify dimensions and contours of models during hand-forming processes, using templates and measuring devices; Trim, smooth, and shape surfaces, and plane, shave, file, scrape, and sand models to attain specified shapes, using hand tools. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for model makers, wood? ▼
For SOC 51-7031, O*NET importance scores lead with Monitoring (3.1), Operations Monitoring (3.1), Reading Comprehension (3.0), Speaking (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Production and Processing, Design, Building and Construction. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Model Makers, Wood? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $34,800 and the 90th at $98,050 for Model Makers, Wood (2.8× spread). The national median is $56,550. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Model Makers, Wood? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Model Makers, Wood is -5%. Projected annual openings: about 100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Model Makers, Wood? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Model Makers, Wood. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Is state-level OEWS pay published for Model Makers, Wood? ▼
Ohio ($35,900) 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 Model Makers, Wood card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 51-7031. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Model Makers, Wood. 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