Pourers and Casters, Metal
Median $51,810
Occupation · SOC 51-4051
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders: pay and where the jobs are
What metal-refining furnace operators and tenders earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$54,430 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $55,490
- Median hourly wage
- $26.17
- Mean hourly wage
- $26.68
- Employment
- 16,780
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-4051.
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How much do metal-refining furnace operators and tenders make?
The median annual wage for metal-refining furnace operators and tenders was $54,430 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $39,200 and the highest-paid 10% more than $74,470. As an hourly rate, the median is $26.17. About 16,780 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Minnesota ($75,880), New Jersey ($75,020) and New York ($66,440). Minnesota also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for metal-refining furnace operators and tenders looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,200 | $18.85 | $3,267 | $2,806 |
| 25th percentile | $46,080 | $22.15 | $3,840 | $3,267 |
| Median | $54,430 | $26.17 | $4,536 | $3,826 |
| 75th percentile | $62,810 | $30.20 | $5,234 | $4,387 |
| 90th percentile | $74,470 | $35.81 | $6,206 | $5,102 |
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders: pay by state
36 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$59,056 take-home in national prices
2
$53,770 take-home in national prices
3
$52,971 take-home in national prices
Where a median metal-refining furnace operators and tender paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 200 | $75,880 | $44,550 | $79,070 | $58,241 | $59,056 |
| New Jersey | 150 | $75,020 | $53,100 | $79,110 | $58,504 | $53,770 |
| New York | 760 | $66,440 | $46,840 | $81,650 | $52,256 | $48,420 |
| Oregon | 400 | $64,410 | $46,020 | $84,070 | $49,233 | $47,632 |
| Washington | 330 | $62,850 | $48,690 | $92,050 | $51,808 | $48,413 |
| North Carolina | 390 | $60,780 | $40,350 | $74,470 | $49,100 | $52,054 |
| Utah | 330 | $60,510 | $45,190 | $78,760 | $48,523 | $49,081 |
| Arizona | 490 | $59,830 | $45,180 | $76,480 | $49,151 | $48,821 |
| Kentucky | 810 | $59,040 | $44,670 | $67,440 | $47,670 | $52,873 |
| Massachusetts | 240 | $58,480 | $45,140 | $75,310 | $46,196 | $43,681 |
| California | 280 | $58,310 | $46,940 | $72,460 | $46,736 | $42,211 |
| Indiana | 1,520 | $58,300 | $42,190 | $65,420 | $47,334 | $50,717 |
| Tennessee | 730 | $57,490 | $37,430 | $75,470 | $48,373 | $52,654 |
| Iowa | 330 | $57,030 | $44,090 | $62,660 | $46,488 | $52,971 |
| Virginia | 110 | $57,000 | $36,840 | $74,650 | $45,516 | $45,019 |
| Nevada | 130 | $56,790 | $40,590 | $79,020 | $47,811 | $47,821 |
| West Virginia | 70 | $56,290 | $39,910 | $72,120 | $45,699 | $51,063 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,230 | $55,910 | $39,410 | $70,010 | $45,348 | $46,477 |
| Missouri | 200 | $55,480 | $51,250 | $65,120 | $45,088 | $49,647 |
| Ohio | 1,790 | $55,080 | $40,010 | $71,080 | $45,366 | $48,899 |
| Alabama | 1,250 | $54,260 | $36,130 | $79,780 | $43,521 | $48,998 |
| Nebraska | 60 | $52,800 | $39,480 | $67,070 | $43,082 | $47,814 |
| Illinois | 590 | $51,020 | $44,130 | $63,180 | $40,794 | $40,811 |
| Connecticut | 60 | $50,510 | $37,830 | $67,110 | $40,484 | $39,074 |
| New Mexico | 60 | $50,260 | $38,380 | $65,180 | $41,367 | $44,861 |
| Florida | 700 | $49,780 | $38,260 | $60,790 | $42,178 | $40,786 |
| Oklahoma | 110 | $48,890 | $38,460 | $57,190 | $39,809 | $45,318 |
| Wisconsin | 540 | $48,260 | $43,930 | $61,640 | $39,466 | $41,943 |
| Georgia | 230 | $47,750 | $36,230 | $60,150 | $38,913 | $40,411 |
| Texas | 600 | $46,670 | $38,250 | $73,930 | $39,679 | $40,883 |
| New Hampshire | 60 | $46,380 | $39,100 | $62,320 | $39,446 | $37,869 |
| Michigan | 680 | $44,900 | $37,310 | $59,140 | $36,600 | $38,039 |
| Kansas | 100 | $44,800 | $36,480 | $55,360 | $36,477 | $40,499 |
| South Carolina | 290 | $44,160 | $37,060 | $70,940 | $37,050 | $39,521 |
| Arkansas | 490 | $39,920 | $34,920 | $61,880 | $33,266 | $38,265 |
| Mississippi | 120 | $39,610 | $35,860 | $56,910 | $33,154 | $38,129 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-4051. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.