SOC 51-4072 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic — Illinois
Illinois · 4 metro areas compared
The median wage for Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Illinois is $45,500 per year, close to the national median of $44,350 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 decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -3.8%
- Openings per year
- 15,900
- 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 Illinois.
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 Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Illinois is $45,500 per year, close to the national median of $44,350 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $36,090 at the tenth percentile to more than $61,950 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $38,140 to $50,560.
Employment stands at 10,680, or 1.8 jobs per thousand held locally. Among the 49 states with published data for this occupation, Illinois ranks 19th by median wage. Peoria leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $56,720. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 597th of 747 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $36,090 | −18.6% |
| 25th | $38,140 | −14.0% |
| Median (50th) | $45,500 | +2.6% |
| 75th | $50,560 | +14.0% |
| 90th | $61,950 | +39.7% |
| Mean | $46,710 | +5.3% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Illinois
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Illinois sit close to the national average, so $45,500 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.
Published median
$45,500as reported by BLSLocal price level
100.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$45,500US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $45,500 a year, 2.6% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $36,090 to $61,950 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 10,680 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 19th of 49 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Peoria, at $56,720.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Illinois?
The median annual wage is $45,500, or $21.88 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 $44,350, so pay in Illinois is 2.6% 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 Illinois earns more than $61,950 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $36,090 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 Peoria, at $56,720 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 10,680 jobs in this occupation in Illinois. 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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