Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic: $49K vs $58K Median Pay

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic: what changes?

Consider Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic if you want to set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts. Consider Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic if you would rather lay out, machine, fit, and assemble castings and parts to metal or plastic foundry patterns, core boxes, or match plates. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic and Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic. 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

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

National median pay (2025): $49,030
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: Read work orders or blueprints to determine specified tolerances and sequences of operations for machine setup.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 600

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 17.2% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

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

Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic

National median pay (2025): $58,000
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: Verify conformance of patterns or template dimensions to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, scales, and micrometers.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 100

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 22.8% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic brief

How the national numbers differ

Typical preparation differs.

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: 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 Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic: 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 Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic has the edge on median pay

Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic is at $58,000, compared with $49,030 for Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.

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

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is at 600 annual openings, compared with 100 annual openings for Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic.

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic has the edge on projected growth

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is at -17.2% projected growth, compared with -22.8% projected growth for Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic.

24.6/ 100

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

20.6/ 100

Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic

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

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic

Dimension	Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic
Median pay (2025)	$49,030	$58,000
Pay percentile	29.9 percentile	43.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-17.2%	-22.8%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	600	100
2025 employment	8,900	1,500
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 3
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 Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic brief Read Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic brief

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic

How the national numbers differ

Typical preparation differs.

Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic has the edge on median pay

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

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic has the edge on projected growth

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic vs Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic

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