Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other
All metal workers and plastic workers not listed separately.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: Jobs are projected to shrink 7.1% by 2035. Its tasks haven't been rated for what AI could do. 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, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 47% 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.5.4 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 | $54,360 | $43,250 to $58,610 | 80 |
| Arizona | $47,050 | $44,610 to $59,170 | 100 |
| Arkansas | $40,570 | $38,030 to $50,090 | 180 |
| California | $47,380 | $43,150 to $54,840 | 1,970 |
| Colorado | $52,430 | $46,660 to $57,790 | 400 |
| Connecticut | $40,260 | $36,810 to $49,920 | 350 |
| Florida | $36,040 | $30,420 to $41,160 | 490 |
| Georgia | $42,030 | $36,950 to $46,060 | 1,730 |
| Hawaii | $78,000 | $62,400 to $90,830 | 30 |
| Illinois | $49,570 | $48,200 to $77,900 | 170 |
| Indiana | $54,890 | $46,020 to $64,630 | 250 |
| Iowa | $46,570 | $44,560 to $56,160 | 40 |
| Kentucky | $61,320 | $59,000 to $67,080 | 200 |
| Louisiana | $45,680 | $40,000 to $50,440 | 210 |
| Maine | $41,600 | $37,160 to $48,730 | 60 |
| Maryland | $50,280 | $46,010 to $60,730 | 510 |
| Massachusetts | $47,060 | $38,560 to $95,370 | 30 |
| Michigan | $40,110 | $37,910 to $45,630 | 530 |
| Minnesota | $51,990 | $47,780 to $60,500 | 110 |
| Missouri | $48,920 | $44,400 to $48,920 | 210 |
| Montana | $56,740 | $34,360 to $60,650 | 110 |
| Nevada | $46,440 | $42,910 to $58,640 | 210 |
| New Hampshire | $47,830 | $43,310 to $50,410 | 790 |
| New Jersey | $33,790 | $33,790 to $46,950 | not published |
| New Mexico | $53,080 | $46,210 to $61,040 | 40 |
| New York | $60,740 | $52,610 to $74,010 | 150 |
| North Carolina | $45,190 | $38,850 to $50,710 | 470 |
| Ohio | $45,180 | $41,570 to $48,680 | 790 |
| Oklahoma | $65,040 | $44,210 to $68,140 | 180 |
| Oregon | $49,510 | $38,060 to $64,290 | 570 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,350 | $38,740 to $52,880 | 800 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,840 | $21,840 to $21,840 | 40 |
| South Carolina | $46,470 | $36,510 to $56,220 | 400 |
| Tennessee | $36,770 | $35,440 to $45,760 | 980 |
| Texas | $45,560 | $38,830 to $50,690 | 1,410 |
| Utah | $54,940 | $38,680 to $56,820 | 30 |
| Virginia | $51,690 | $41,180 to $83,210 | 130 |
| Washington | $65,760 | $48,720 to $106,640 | 360 |
| Wisconsin | $45,100 | $41,150 to $55,310 | 470 |
Nationally: $45,950. 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.
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 metal workers and plastic workers, all other 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 1,478 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 2 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 3 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers High +1.8% 4%
- 4 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 3%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 1,588 moves in
- 1 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers High +3.7% 3%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers High +1.8% 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”
3 programs: Machine Tool Technology/Machinist, Machine Shop Technology/Assistant and Precision Metal Working, Other.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
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 (Blacksmith; MULTI OPERATION FORM MACHNIST SETTER). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other” 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
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/51-4199.00