Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic Salary and Pay
How much do Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic make?
Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic pay a median of $54,540 a year in the BLS May 2024 survey, with a mean of $57,930 across 1,570 counted jobs. Half of all workers in the occupation earn between $47,520 and $66,590.
One page for the whole Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic pay distribution: national ladder first, then all 15 state rows and the metro rankings, every figure from BLS OEWS May 2024.
Updated November 5, 2026
Salary converter for this occupation
Gross pay only, before taxes and benefits. The picker starts at this occupation's median ($54,540); the custom box accepts any annual figure, which is how you price an offer letter against the ladder below.
The national wage ladder (BLS OEWS, May 2024)
| Pay level | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,150 | $18.82 |
| 25th percentile | $47,520 | $22.85 |
| Median (50th) | $54,540 | $26.22 |
| 75th percentile | $66,590 | $32.02 |
| 90th percentile | $79,690 | $38.31 |
A percentile marks a point in this occupation's pay distribution: the worker one quarter of the way up the Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic ladder earns the 25th percentile wage, $47,520. BLS top-codes very high wages ($239,200+ a year, $115.00+ an hour) and marks estimates it cannot publish as n/p.
Employment and concentration
May 2024 employment stood at 1,570, or 0.00% of the U.S. total. Wisconsin leads the state table with 210 jobs; the top three states sum to 34.4% of the occupation. The concentration measure tells the more interesting story: Alabama posts a location quotient of 7.36, so a worker there is far more likely to meet a colleague in this field than the national pattern suggests.
One in ten workers in this field earns $39,150 or less, and one in ten earns $79,690 or more, so the top-to-bottom ratio is 2.0 to 1 and the annual gap is $40,540. The mean ($57,930) versus median ($54,540) comparison shows a right-skewed ladder where senior and specialist roles lift the average in this occupation.
Pay by state
The state spread for Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic runs from the $80,190 median in Illinois down through every other publishing state. Employment concentrates in Wisconsin (210 jobs). The complete table:
| State | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | Mean annual | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 210 | 0.1 | 7.01 | $51,690 | $47,540 |
| Pennsylvania | 170 | 0.0 | 2.77 | $57,060 | $52,000 |
| Alabama | 160 | 0.1 | 7.36 | $50,730 | $48,660 |
| Indiana | 160 | 0.1 | 5.06 | $53,830 | $53,980 |
| Michigan | 140 | 0.0 | 3.04 | $68,360 | $73,730 |
| Ohio | 120 | 0.0 | 2.10 | $68,880 | $63,420 |
| North Carolina | 70 | 0.0 | 1.44 | $43,260 | $37,970 |
| Texas | 60 | 0.0 | 0.44 | $50,950 | $52,960 |
| Illinois | 40 | 0.0 | 0.66 | $79,090 | $80,190 |
| Iowa | 40 | 0.0 | 2.62 | $61,740 | $63,300 |
| Minnesota | 40 | 0.0 | 1.26 | $64,940 | $66,120 |
| Tennessee | 40 | 0.0 | 1.09 | $40,090 | $38,680 |
| Washington | 40 | 0.0 | 1.08 | $60,410 | $59,740 |
| California | n/p | n/p | n/p | $71,010 | $65,570 |
| Massachusetts | n/p | n/p | n/p | $63,100 | $63,480 |
The occupation in context
Ranked against all 826 published occupations, Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic stands number 808 by employment and number 474 by median pay. Inside its own major group, Production Occupations, the group median wage is $46,020 across 105 detailed occupations, so this occupation pays 19% more than its group median, and it supplies 0.0% of the group's 8,743,430 jobs. In 8 of the 15 states with a published median, the state median beats the national median of $54,540, which is the single best quick test of whether this occupation's pay is set nationally or locally: a high count means local markets regularly outbid the national figure.
Metropolitan areas: where the jobs and the pay sit
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ is the largest metro employer with 40 jobs, 2.5% of the national total. Employment rank and pay rank are different lists: the second table re-sorts metros with at least 500 jobs in this occupation by mean pay, the floor keeping a handful of workers from posing as a market.
Largest metro employers
| Metropolitan area | Employment | Mean annual | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 40 | $54,020 | $52,220 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | n/p | $53,940 | $53,910 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | n/p | $68,920 | $65,570 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | n/p | $48,130 | $47,520 |
What the median pay looks like as a budget
The median annual wage of $54,540 works out to $4,545 a month before taxes, $2,098 per biweekly paycheck, and $1,049 a week. Moving from the 25th percentile ($47,520) to the 75th ($66,590) is worth $19,070 a year, which is the realistic size of the experience and specialization premium inside this occupation. Run the median through the paycheck calculator for a take-home estimate in your state, compare an offer against your current pay with the salary calculator, and check whether a raise actually beats prices with the raise vs inflation calculator.
To place a real offer: a salary of $59,994 would sit between the median ($54,540) and the 75th percentile ($66,590), inside the top half but outside the top quarter of this occupation's ladder. An offer at the 25th percentile, $47,520, is $7,020 under the median, the typical size of the discount attached to entry-level or low-cost-market postings in this field.
Related occupations in Production Occupations
Compare the ladder above with the closest relatives in the survey: Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders, Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators, Sewing Machine Operators, Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters. The Careers hub carries the whole branch, group by group.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average salary for Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic?
BLS publishes both centers: the mean annual wage is $57,930 and the median is $54,540 (May 2024). The median is usually the better answer to what a typical worker makes, because the mean is pulled by the highest earners.
Where do Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic earn the most?
At state level, Illinois posts the highest median at $80,190. At metro level, BLS publishes no metro estimates for this occupation.
How many Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic jobs are there?
1,570 nationally in May 2024. The biggest metro employer is Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ with 40 jobs.
Is $54,540 a good salary for Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic?
It is the exact middle of the occupation: half of the 1,570 counted workers earn more, half earn less. Against the occupation's own ladder, an offer above $66,590 is a top-quartile offer and one below $47,520 is a bottom-quartile one.