Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

51-9051 Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend heating equipment other than basic metal, plastic, or food processing equipment. Includes activities, such as annealing glass, drying lumber, curing rubber, removing moisture from materials, or boiling soap.

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)
30,320 3.2 % $14.63 $30,430 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.06 $11.11 $13.95 $17.72 $21.67
Annual Wage (2) $18,850 $23,110 $29,020 $36,870 $45,080

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Glass and glass product manufacturing 3,560 $15.29 $31,810 1 14
Clay product and refractory manufacturing 3,560 $12.60 $26,210 2 39
Rubber product manufacturing 3,020 $15.13 $31,470 3 16
Alumina and aluminum production 1,430 $13.67 $28,430 4 33
Sawmills and wood preservation 1,400 $13.72 $28,540 5 31

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Commercial and service industry machinery 130 $19.35 $40,240 32 1
Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills (6) $18.98 $39,490 (6) 2
Iron and steel mills and ferroalloy mfg. 670 $18.65 $38,790 11 3
Motor vehicle parts manufacturing 230 $18.14 $37,730 24 4
Metal ore mining (6) $17.86 $37,140 (6) 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Arkansas 750 $13.96 $29,050 0.067% 308
Mississippi 680 $13.04 $27,130 0.063% 370
Alabama 1,080 $15.84 $32,940 0.059% 308
West Virginia 350 $12.71 $26,440 0.051% 404
Ohio 2,730 $15.53 $32,310 0.051% 442

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Nevada 120 $20.17 $41,960 0.011% 242
Minnesota 700 $18.72 $38,940 0.027% 329
Maine 190 $18.41 $38,300 0.032% 217
Kansas 340 $18.41 $38,290 0.026% 236
Maryland 220 $18.23 $37,910 0.009% 325

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

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

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC MSA 450 $13.30 $27,650 0.275%
Gary, IN PMSA 300 $19.95 $41,490 0.120%
Youngstown-Warren, OH MSA 220 $14.56 $30,280 0.098%
Columbus, GA-AL MSA 100 $15.62 $32,480 0.088%
Macon, GA MSA 120 $16.94 $35,230 0.084%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Baton Rouge, LA MSA 70 $22.12 $46,020 0.024%
Gary, IN PMSA 300 $19.95 $41,490 0.120%
Las Vegas, NV-AZ MSA 120 $19.53 $40,610 0.015%
Detroit, MI PMSA 500 $19.51 $40,580 0.025%
Baltimore, MD PMSA 180 $19.47 $40,500 0.015%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan 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.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Production Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004