Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2007

51-4051 Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend furnaces, such as gas, oil, coal, electric-arc or electric induction, open-hearth, or oxygen furnaces, to melt and refine metal before casting or to produce specified types of steel. Exclude "Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic" (51-4191).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
19,180 4.0 % $16.98 $35,330 1.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.07 $13.38 $16.63 $20.10 $23.87
Annual Wage (2) $23,030 $27,820 $34,580 $41,820 $49,650

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing 5,320 $18.88 $39,260
Foundries 4,490 $15.33 $31,890
Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing 3,810 $17.13 $35,640
Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing 2,500 $16.92 $35,190
Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel 280 $17.11 $35,600

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Metal Ore Mining 260 $21.43 $44,570
Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing 70 $19.97 $41,550
Metal and Mineral (except Petroleum) Merchant Wholesalers 80 $18.89 $39,290
Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing 5,320 $18.88 $39,260
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing (8) $18.45 $38,370

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all States with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Indiana 1,860 $18.76 $39,010 0.064%
West Virginia 370 $17.42 $36,240 0.052%
Pennsylvania 2,490 $16.49 $34,300 0.044%
Ohio 2,290 $18.46 $38,390 0.043%
Alabama 590 $15.87 $33,020 0.031%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Nebraska 60 $29.04 $60,400 0.007%
Nevada 100 $23.69 $49,280 0.008%
Arkansas 150 $21.73 $45,200 0.013%
New York 430 $20.14 $41,900 0.005%
Maryland 300 $19.79 $41,160 0.012%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all Metropolitan areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Owensboro, KY 100 $17.86 $37,150 0.209%
Evansville, IN-KY 280 $17.44 $36,280 0.162%
Reading, PA 270 $15.55 $32,350 0.161%
Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI 100 $19.35 $40,240 0.157%
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH 1,230 $19.18 $39,900 0.116%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Prescott, AZ 40 $24.38 $50,700 0.062%
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 50 $23.69 $49,280 0.009%
Edison, NJ Metropolitan Division (8) $22.07 $45,910 (8)
Charleston-North Charleston, SC 170 $21.86 $45,470 0.059%
St. Louis, MO-IL (8) $21.76 $45,260 (8)

About May 2007 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files (XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2007 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2007 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2007 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2007 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2007 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2008