SOC 51-9041 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders — Indiana
Indiana · 7 metro areas compared
The median wage for Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Indiana is $46,790 per year, close to the national median of $45,760 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +2.0%
- Openings per year
- 5,200
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Indiana.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Indiana is $46,790 per year, close to the national median of $45,760 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $37,480 at the tenth percentile to more than $59,580 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $38,640 to $50,080.
Employment stands at 3,150, or 1.0 jobs per thousand held locally. Among the 45 states with published data for this occupation, Indiana ranks 22nd by median wage. Terre Haute leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $59,080. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 529th of 753 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $37,480 | −18.1% |
| 25th | $38,640 | −15.6% |
| Median (50th) | $46,790 | +2.3% |
| 75th | $50,080 | +9.4% |
| 90th | $59,580 | +30.2% |
| Mean | $46,720 | +2.1% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Indiana
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terre Haute | $59,080 | 170 | |
| 2 | Indianapolis | $48,700 | 240 | |
| 3 | Michigan City | $47,360 | 40 | |
| 4 | Fort Wayne | $46,910 | 150 | |
| 5 | Elkhart | $45,330 | 230 | |
| 6 | Columbus | $41,890 | 50 | |
| 7 | Evansville | $37,480 | — |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Indiana run 6.7% below the national average, so the median of $46,790 goes as far as $50,150 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 9.6% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$46,790as reported by BLSLocal price level
93.3US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$50,150US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $46,790 a year, 2.3% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $37,480 to $59,580 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 3,150 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 22nd of 45 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Terre Haute, at $59,080.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Indiana?
The median annual wage is $46,790, or $22.50 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $45,760, so pay in Indiana is 2.3% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Indiana earns more than $59,580 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $37,480 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Terre Haute, at $59,080 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 3,150 jobs in this occupation in Indiana. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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