Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: $48K vs $46K Median Pay

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: what changes?

Consider Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic if you want to set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes. Consider Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders if you would rather set up, operate, or tend machines, such as glass-forming machines, plodder machines, and tuber machines, to shape and form products such as glassware, food, rubber, soap, brick, tile, clay, wax, tobacco, or…. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic and Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

National median pay (2025): $47,720
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 5,400

Know before you choose

BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.7%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

See the full Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic brief

Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

National median pay (2025): $45,760
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 5,200

Know before you choose

The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.

See the full Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders brief

How the national numbers differ

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic has the edge on median pay

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is at $47,720, compared with $45,760 for Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.

Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on projected growth

Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is at 1.5% projected growth, compared with 0.7% projected growth for Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic has the edge on annual openings

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is at 5,400 annual openings, compared with 5,200 annual openings for Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.

43.8/ 100

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

42.9/ 100

Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Dimension	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Median pay (2025)	$47,720	$45,760
Pay percentile	25.6 percentile	19.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	0.7%	1.5%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	5,400	5,200
2025 employment	60,900	58,300
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic brief Read Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders brief

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

How the national numbers differ

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic has the edge on median pay

Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on projected growth

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic has the edge on annual openings

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

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