Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 51-4052

Pourers and Casters, Metal

Median pay sits 30% below the mid peer in Production Occupations (neighbors include Power Plant Operators, Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic, Chemical Plant and System Operators, Tool and Die Makers).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Pourers and Casters, Metal: Power Plant Operators ($102K) , Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic ($64K) , Chemical Plant and System Operators ($78K) , Tool and Die Makers ($64K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Pourers and Casters, Metal publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-4052 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds and forms to produce ingots or other castings, using ladles or hand-controlled mech…
  2. 2. Read temperature gauges and observe color changes, adjusting furnace flames, torches, or electrical heating units as necessary to melt me…
  3. 3. Remove solidified steel or slag from pouring nozzles, using long bars or oxygen burners
  4. 4. Assemble and embed cores in casting frames, using hand tools and equipment
  5. 5. Examine molds to ensure they are clean, smooth, and properly coated
  6. 6. Collect samples, or signal workers to sample metal for analysis
  7. 7. Turn valves to circulate water through cores, or spray water on filled molds to cool and solidify metal
  8. 8. Load specified amounts of metal and flux into furnaces or clay crucibles
  9. 9. Pull levers to lift ladle stoppers and to allow molten steel to flow into ingot molds to specified heights
  10. 10. Position equipment such as ladles, grinding wheels, pouring nozzles, or crucibles, or signal other workers to position equipment
  11. 11. Skim slag or remove excess metal from ingots or equipment, using hand tools, strainers, rakes, or burners, collecting scrap for recycling
  12. 12. Remove metal ingots or cores from molds, using hand tools, cranes, and chain hoists

Pourers and Casters, Metal: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-4052 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 3.1 ; lead knowledge English Language. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 3.1
  2. 2. Operation and Control 3.1
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.0
  5. 5. Monitoring 3.0
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 3.0
  7. 7. Coordination 2.9
  8. 8. Quality Control Analysis 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 3.1
  2. 2. Production and Processing 2.8
  3. 3. Education and Training 2.6
  4. 4. Mechanical 2.5
  5. 5. Administration and Management 2.2
  6. 6. Mathematics 2.2
Pay vs Production Occupations peers
-30%
vs mid peer median $74,450
This role $51,810/yr
$52K
National median
↓ -5%
Growth 2024-2034
600
Annual openings
4,560
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 Pourers and Casters, Metal

1. Ohio $60,770
2. Indiana $61,430
3. Michigan $60,280
4. Tennessee $71,880
5. Washington $54,210
6. Illinois $57,200
7. Texas $52,100
8. Florida $62,090
9. Massachusetts $62,820
10. North Carolina $57,700

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Chemical Plant and System Operators $78,120
  2. 2. Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic $63,870
  3. 3. Tool and Die Makers $64,050
  4. 4. Power Plant Operators $102,040
  5. 5. Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers $65,380
  6. 6. Gas Plant Operators $87,820

Among Production Occupations peers on this card, Pourers and Casters, Metal sits 30% below the mid peer median ($74,450). Its own median is $51,810.

Employment Projections expect -5% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 600 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 $60,770. 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.

Pourers and Casters, Metal pay-rank #28 in Production Occupations

Among 105 detailed Production Occupations with a published OEWS median, Pourers and Casters, Metal is pay-rank #28, 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.

Pourers and Casters, Metal pays 30% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Pourers and Casters, Metal salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 51-4052

Ohio · top state for Pourers and Casters, Metal

$61K published median

Indiana · #2 state pay

$61K · behind Ohio

Power Plant Operators

Highest-pay peer vs Pourers and Casters, Metal · $102K

Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic

Lower-pay peer beside Pourers and Casters, Metal · $64K

Compare Pourers and Casters, Metal

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Pourers and Casters, Metal with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Pourers and Casters, Metal

Against another occupation

Power Plant Operators card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Production Occupations titles sit near Pourers and Casters, Metal at the top of the pay table? ▼
Pourers and Casters, Metal is pay-rank #28 of 105 detailed Production Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders ($52K), Semiconductor Processing Technicians ($51K), Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters ($51K), Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers ($53K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do pourers and casters, metal do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Pourers and Casters, Metal. Leading ones include: Pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds and forms to produce ingots or other castings, using ladles or hand-controlled mech…; Read temperature gauges and observe color changes, adjusting furnace flames, torches, or electrical heating units as necessary to melt me…; Remove solidified steel or slag from pouring nozzles, using long bars or oxygen burners; Assemble and embed cores in casting frames, using hand tools and equipment. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for pourers and casters, metal? ▼
For SOC 51-4052, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (3.1), Operation and Control (3.1), Active Listening (3.0), Critical Thinking (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Production and Processing, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Pourers and Casters, Metal? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $51,810 as the national median for Pourers and Casters, Metal. The published 10th-90th range is $38,480 to $72,040. Beside Power Plant Operators ($102,040), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Pourers and Casters, Metal? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Pourers and Casters, Metal is -5%. Projected annual openings: about 600. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Pourers and Casters, Metal? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Pourers and Casters, Metal. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Pourers and Casters, Metal? ▼
Ohio ($60,770), Indiana ($61,430), Michigan ($60,280) 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 Pourers and Casters, Metal card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 51-4052. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Pourers and Casters, Metal. 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