SOC 51-4022 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic — New Jersey
New Jersey
The median wage for Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in New Jersey is $35,630 per year, substantially below the national median of $49,030 — a gap of 27.3%.
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 New Jersey.
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 New Jersey is $35,630 per year, substantially below the national median of $49,030 — a gap of 27.3%. Pay ranges from under $34,840 at the tenth percentile to more than $72,760 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $35,630 to $39,210.
Among the 32 states with published data for this occupation, New Jersey ranks 32nd by median wage. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 719th of 736 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $34,840 | −28.9% |
| 25th | $35,630 | −27.3% |
| Median (50th) | $35,630 | −27.3% |
| 75th | $39,210 | −20.0% |
| 90th | $72,760 | +48.4% |
| Mean | $43,450 | −11.4% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in New Jersey run 8.8% above the national average, so the median of $35,630 buys what $32,748 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 33.2% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$35,630as reported by BLSLocal price level
108.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$32,748US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $35,630 a year, 27.3% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $34,840 to $72,760 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- It ranks 32nd of 32 states for this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in New Jersey?
The median annual wage is $35,630, or $17.13 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 New Jersey is 27.3% lower. 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 New Jersey earns more than $72,760 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $34,840 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.
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.
Explore related data