Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salary by state
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$49,000
National baseline
Target bonus
$4,000
8.4% of base
Total target cash
$53,000
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$2,50050th$4,00075th$6,500
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
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About this role
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is a professional role within the function in the Production job family.
Typical entry preparation: High School Diploma and up to 1 year of related work experience, per O*NET occupational data. Advancement typically requires additional years in role.
What Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenderss do
Typical education: High School Diploma
Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients.
Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment.
Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales.
Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions.
Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products.
Top skills:Operations MonitoringOperation and ControlMonitoringSpeakingTroubleshootingReading Comprehension
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders pay by experience level
Entry level$36,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$39,500
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$47,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$54,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$65,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+2%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
5,200
projected openings per year
Growing slower than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salary by industry
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
24,690 workers
$48,500
Rubber Product Manufacturing
18,360 workers
$49,000
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
11,090 workers
$49,500
Plastics Product Manufacturing
6,320 workers
$47,000
Food Manufacturing
3,340 workers
$48,000
Chemical Manufacturing
3,170 workers
$50,000
Paper Manufacturing
2,620 workers
$58,000
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
2,530 workers
$49,500
Converted Paper Product Manufacturing
2,350 workers
$57,000
Administrative and Support Services
2,340 workers
$34,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $36,560 to $45,760.
+25.2% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$36,000
Early career25th percentile
$39,500
Median50th percentile
$47,500
Experienced75th percentile
$54,500
Top earners90th percentile
$65,500
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
The abilities employers and analysts most associate with this occupation.
Operations MonitoringOperation and ControlMonitoringSpeakingTroubleshootingReading Comprehension
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients.
Press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment.
Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as templates, micrometers, or scales.
Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions.
Clear jams, and remove defective or substandard materials or products.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Non-exempt · Service, trades, or production work
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay under FLSA rules. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$49,000
2027$50,500
2028$52,500
2029$54,500
2030$56,000
2031$58,000
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
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How much does a Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders make?
The median market pay for a Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in the United States is about $49,000 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?
Most Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders pay falls between about $39,500 (25th percentile) and $54,500 (75th percentile), with top earners above $65,500.
What does a Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders do?
Core responsibilities include: adjust machine components to regulate speeds, pressures, and temperatures, and amounts, dimensions, and flow of materials or ingredients; and press control buttons to activate machinery and equipment.
Is pay for Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $36,560 in 2020 to $45,760 in 2025, a change of +25.2% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders pays 13% below the average across 112 roles in the Production job family (family average $56,000).
Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders make?
The average base salary for a Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in the United States is $49,000 per year, or about $23.56 per hour.
What is the typical salary range?
Pay typically falls between $39,500 and $54,500 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.
How does this compare with other Production roles?
The Production job family averages $56,000 across 112 roles tracked by WePayFairly.
Need a defensible market price for this role? WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.
Need Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
