SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-4191 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic — Cincinnati

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN · 5 metro areas compared

$56,380 /year
$27.11per hour
110jobs in area
+15.7%vs US median

The median wage for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Cincinnati, OH is $56,380 per year, 15.7% above the national median of $48,750.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $48,75010TH$39,55025TH$46,080MEDIAN$56,38075TH$60,89090TH$67,650

How pay has moved

$59,750$39,5302019202020212022202320242025$56,380
$43,200 in 2019 to $56,380 in 2025, +30.5% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-12.8%
Openings per year
1,200
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 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN.

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 Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Cincinnati, OH is $56,380 per year, 15.7% above the national median of $48,750. Half of workers earn between $46,080 and $60,890. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $39,550 and the ninetieth at $67,650.

The area has 110 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.1 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Canton records the highest median at $67,070. Of the 647 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 359th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$39,550−18.9%
25th$46,080−5.5%
Median (50th)$56,380+15.7%
75th$60,890+24.9%
90th$67,650+38.8%
Mean$55,270+13.4%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Ohio

Median annual wage for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Canton$67,070170
2Columbus$62,53040
3Akron$54,120100
4Cleveland$50,690240
5Dayton$48,67090

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Cincinnati run 4.6% below the national average, so the median of $56,380 goes as far as $59,099 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 21.2% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$56,380as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$59,099US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $56,380 a year, 15.7% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $39,550 to $67,650 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 110 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Canton, at $67,070.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Cincinnati, OH?

The median annual wage is $56,380, or $27.11 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 $48,750, so pay in Cincinnati, OH is 15.7% 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 Cincinnati, OH earns more than $67,650 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $39,550 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 Canton, at $67,070 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 110 jobs in this occupation in Cincinnati, OH. 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.