SOC 51-4022 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic — Indiana
Indiana · 2 metro areas compared
The median wage for Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Indiana is $53,550 per year, 9.2% above the national median of $49,030.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -18.9%
- Openings per year
- 600
- 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 Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Indiana is $53,550 per year, 9.2% above the national median of $49,030. Pay ranges from under $39,330 at the tenth percentile to more than $60,910 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $48,960 to $57,910.
The area has 450 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.1 of every thousand jobs. Among the 32 states with published data for this occupation, Indiana ranks 12th by median wage. Indianapolis leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $57,740. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 423rd of 753 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $39,330 | −19.8% |
| 25th | $48,960 | −0.1% |
| Median (50th) | $53,550 | +9.2% |
| 75th | $57,910 | +18.1% |
| 90th | $60,910 | +24.2% |
| Mean | $52,600 | +7.3% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Indiana
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indianapolis | $57,740 | 120 | |
| 2 | Columbus | $52,060 | 140 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Indiana run 6.7% below the national average, so the median of $53,550 goes as far as $57,395 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 17.1% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$53,550as reported by BLSLocal price level
93.3US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$57,395US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $53,550 a year, 9.2% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $39,330 to $60,910 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 450 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 12th of 32 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Indianapolis, at $57,740.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Indiana?
The median annual wage is $53,550, or $25.75 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 $49,030, so pay in Indiana is 9.2% 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 $60,910 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $39,330 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 Indianapolis, at $57,740 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 450 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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