BLS metro-level wage data places Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC at a median of $45,270 per year ($21.76/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $44,350, Augusta-Richmond County pays +2% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 310 molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics are employed across the Augusta-Richmond County MSA in SOC 51-4072.

The Augusta-Richmond County pay distribution spans from $42,300 at the 10th percentile to $47,630 at the 90th — a 1.1× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $45,270 and the 75th at $45,270, so half of Augusta-Richmond County-based molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide GA data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.