Home / Apprenticeships / Occupations / Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 51-4072.00
Approved titles
5
RAPIDS codes
Shortest term
2,000 h
longest minimum 8,000 h
National median pay
$44,350
a year, BLS May 2025
Jobs nationally
150,470
BLS May 2025
Approved apprenticeship titles
- Training approaches
- competency-based, hybrid, time-based
- Shortest approved term
- 2,000 hours, INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE OPERATOR (competency-based)
- State medians
- $77,560 in Hawaii to $23,080 in Puerto Rico (50 states publish one)
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| CASTER (Nonferrous Metal) | 0044 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE OPERATOR | 0246 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 2,000 hours |
| MOLD SETTER | 0348 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| MOLDER, PATTERN (Foundry) | 0351 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| PLASTIC PROCESS TECHNICIAN | 0660 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
What molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn, by state
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $77,560 | $37.29 | 140 |
| Maryland | $63,460 | $30.51 | 230 |
| Maine | $59,230 | $28.47 | 470 |
| Minnesota | $49,590 | $23.84 | 2,230 |
| Nevada | $49,590 | $23.84 | 350 |
| Nebraska | $48,500 | $23.32 | 1,000 |
| Washington | $48,290 | $23.22 | 1,800 |
| Colorado | $48,200 | $23.18 | 2,160 |
| North Dakota | $47,780 | $22.97 | 160 |
| New Hampshire | $47,610 | $22.89 | 1,080 |
| California | $47,240 | $22.71 | 9,250 |
| Kentucky | $47,110 | $22.65 | 4,340 |
| Arizona | $46,930 | $22.56 | 1,430 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,760 | $22.48 | 7,000 |
| Utah | $46,750 | $22.47 | 2,400 |
| Connecticut | $46,240 | $22.23 | 1,100 |
| Oregon | $46,200 | $22.21 | 1,780 |
| Oklahoma | $45,680 | $21.96 | 2,030 |
| Illinois | $45,500 | $21.88 | 10,680 |
| Virginia | $45,370 | $21.81 | 1,680 |
| South Carolina | $45,270 | $21.76 | 3,240 |
| Delaware | $45,220 | $21.74 | 120 |
| Iowa | $45,220 | $21.74 | 3,670 |
| Ohio | $44,830 | $21.55 | 11,050 |
| Arkansas | $44,790 | $21.53 | 2,520 |
| Vermont | $44,530 | $21.41 | 110 |
| New York | $44,500 | $21.40 | 3,320 |
| Indiana | $44,290 | $21.29 | 8,810 |
| Wisconsin | $44,230 | $21.27 | 8,590 |
| Missouri | $44,120 | $21.21 | 3,340 |
| Montana | $43,340 | $20.84 | 110 |
| Georgia | $43,250 | $20.79 | 2,060 |
| Kansas | $43,050 | $20.70 | 1,240 |
| Idaho | $42,690 | $20.52 | 520 |
| Massachusetts | $42,570 | $20.47 | 3,810 |
| West Virginia | $42,500 | $20.43 | 420 |
| Rhode Island | $42,020 | $20.20 | 430 |
| New Mexico | $41,990 | $20.19 | 250 |
| North Carolina | $41,630 | $20.01 | 7,570 |
| Texas | $41,140 | $19.78 | 7,460 |
| South Dakota | $40,750 | $19.59 | 840 |
| New Jersey | $39,950 | $19.21 | 2,450 |
| Mississippi | $39,730 | $19.10 | 550 |
| Michigan | $39,490 | $18.99 | 13,550 |
| Alabama | $39,010 | $18.76 | 5,900 |
| Tennessee | $38,820 | $18.66 | 3,730 |
| Louisiana | $38,650 | $18.58 | 90 |
| Florida | $38,440 | $18.48 | 3,290 |
| Wyoming | $38,160 | $18.35 | 60 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,080 | $11.10 | 920 |
Finding a program
How to find a sponsor that trains this title · Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
- Approved titles and terms: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list, Last-Modified October 8, 2026, read October 8, 2026.
- Pay and jobs: BLS OEWS, May 2025, all industries, read October 8, 2026.