Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Also called: Extruder Operator, Extrusion Operator, Extrusion Press Operator, Machine OperatorSet up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 16 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 0.7% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.5% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other metal workers and plastic workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 54% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.8.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $47,690 | $37,020 to $51,810 | 1,200 |
| Arizona | $45,000 | $38,810 to $47,770 | 910 |
| Arkansas | $50,150 | $47,330 to $57,760 | 1,270 |
| California | $45,880 | $39,920 to $50,140 | 3,870 |
| Colorado | $51,110 | $45,790 to $58,240 | 240 |
| Connecticut | $50,230 | $46,630 to $57,040 | 1,000 |
| Delaware | $46,140 | $45,640 to $57,810 | 470 |
| Florida | $39,730 | $36,360 to $47,440 | 1,190 |
| Georgia | $48,410 | $43,750 to $61,760 | 2,560 |
| Idaho | $34,700 | $34,220 to $45,790 | not published |
| Illinois | $48,520 | $39,400 to $58,310 | 2,750 |
| Indiana | $49,420 | $42,290 to $56,970 | 3,740 |
| Iowa | $47,240 | $39,520 to $55,990 | 450 |
| Kansas | $46,270 | $37,710 to $50,370 | 1,140 |
| Kentucky | $50,000 | $45,970 to $56,160 | 1,400 |
| Louisiana | $47,930 | $44,420 to $77,720 | 580 |
| Maine | $46,550 | $44,630 to $63,380 | 90 |
| Maryland | $46,730 | $36,160 to $53,910 | 270 |
| Massachusetts | $50,370 | $45,210 to $58,240 | 1,490 |
| Michigan | $45,140 | $37,600 to $50,910 | 1,800 |
| Minnesota | $51,830 | $46,910 to $60,370 | 900 |
| Mississippi | $44,220 | $36,850 to $51,150 | 550 |
| Missouri | $46,050 | $38,630 to $51,860 | 1,040 |
| Nebraska | $52,360 | $47,660 to $58,470 | 510 |
| Nevada | $44,210 | $39,650 to $49,290 | 260 |
| New Hampshire | $50,210 | $49,900 to $68,010 | 580 |
| New Jersey | $51,180 | $43,770 to $61,140 | 750 |
| New Mexico | $45,670 | $45,100 to $50,330 | 50 |
| New York | $48,930 | $46,010 to $55,960 | 1,400 |
| North Carolina | $53,330 | $44,470 to $56,840 | 2,950 |
| Ohio | $46,340 | $38,810 to $52,710 | 5,020 |
| Oklahoma | $38,820 | $36,700 to $45,980 | 490 |
| Oregon | $49,650 | $45,860 to $63,500 | 440 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,150 | $45,660 to $60,370 | 2,960 |
| Puerto Rico | $26,030 | $21,840 to $30,630 | 480 |
| Rhode Island | $61,350 | $50,000 to $66,960 | 430 |
| South Carolina | $49,040 | $41,130 to $58,080 | 2,000 |
| South Dakota | $49,620 | $47,210 to $51,920 | 50 |
| Tennessee | $47,550 | $39,600 to $53,020 | 2,980 |
| Texas | $45,890 | $40,760 to $50,050 | 4,070 |
| Utah | $49,000 | $43,620 to $56,130 | 410 |
| Vermont | $59,220 | $44,300 to $69,560 | 60 |
| Virginia | $45,220 | $40,530 to $52,560 | 1,490 |
| Washington | $47,230 | $41,580 to $58,350 | 1,080 |
| West Virginia | $44,510 | $37,190 to $47,420 | 540 |
| Wisconsin | $50,230 | $42,900 to $64,760 | 3,190 |
| Wyoming | $45,950 | $37,990 to $49,610 | 80 |
Nationally: $47,720. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 2 of its 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products. | Not published |
| Not much | Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean work areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Change dies on extruding machines, according to production line changes. | Not published |
| Not much | Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials. | Not published |
| AI + software | Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications. | Not published |
See all 16 tasks
| Not much | Troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain an inventory of materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Replace worn dies when products vary from specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate shearing mechanisms to cut rods to specified lengths. | Not published |
| Not much | Adjust controls to draw or press metal into specified shapes and diameters. | Not published |
| Not much | Test physical properties of products with testing devices such as acid-bath testers, burst testers, and impact testers. | Not published |
| Not much | Reel extruded products into rolls of specified lengths and weights. | Not published |
| Not much | Load machine hoppers with mixed materials, using augers, or stuff rolls of plastic dough into machine cylinders. | Not published |
| AI alone | Select nozzles, spacers, and wire guides, according to diameters and lengths of rods. | Not published |
| Not much | Weigh and mix pelletized, granular, or powdered thermoplastic materials and coloring pigments. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 16 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 16 tasks fall under 16 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #37 Determine operational methods or procedures
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
- #42 Diagnose system or equipment problems
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Repair tools or equipment | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Determine operational methods or procedures | |||
| Diagnose system or equipment problems |
Show all 16 activities
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Package objects | |||
| Operate cutting or grinding equipment | |||
| Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 3,287 moves out
- 1 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 2 Engineering Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 6%
- 4 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 4%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Where people moved in from
of 2,927 moves in
- 1 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 9%
- 2 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 9%
- 3 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
- 4 Engineering Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 14% less than high school
- 52% high school
- 21% some college
- 8% associate's
- 4% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other metal workers and plastic workers” · 3,391 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other metal workers and plastic workers”
1 program: Machine Tool Technology/Machinist.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
6.0% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (Aluminum Extrusion Press Operator; EXTRUDER OPERATOR (Plastics)). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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