Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders pay in the U.S.
$55,490avg. a year
$26.68 an hour · 16,780 employed
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders in the U.S. earn an average of $55,490 a year and a median of $54,430. Pay is highest in New Jersey ($68,820) and lowest in Mississippi ($42,650).
$54,430Median pay
$26.68Average hourly
+21%Avg. pay since 2020
16,780Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for metal-refining furnace operators and tenders
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1150 jobs
New Jersey
$68,820
$33.09 an hour
2330 jobs
Washington
$68,470
$32.92 an hour
3760 jobs
New York
$67,430
$32.42 an hour
4400 jobs
Oregon
$66,610
$32.03 an hour
5200 jobs
Minnesota
$65,570
$31.53 an hour
6280 jobs
California
$60,520
$29.10 an hour
7330 jobs
Utah
$58,980
$28.36 an hour
8130 jobs
Nevada
$58,370
$28.06 an hour
9730 jobs
Tennessee
$58,000
$27.89 an hour
10490 jobs
Arizona
$57,150
$27.48 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $51k$51k–$55k$55k–$58k$58k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $71,680 | $34.46 |
| Reading, PA | $70,960 | $34.12 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $67,550 | $32.48 |
| Utica-Rome, NY | $67,190 | $32.30 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $63,450 | $30.51 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $62,590 | $30.09 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $61,620 | $29.63 |
| Huntsville, AL | $60,950 | $29.30 |
Related jobs
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$56,760
- Machinists$59,320
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,430
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,960
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,030
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,170
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $55,440 | $54,260 | 1,250 |
| Arizona | $57,150 | $59,830 | 490 |
| Arkansas | $43,560 | $39,920 | 490 |
| California | $60,520 | $58,310 | 280 |
| Connecticut | $52,260 | $50,510 | 60 |
| Florida | $51,310 | $49,780 | 700 |
| Georgia | $48,470 | $47,750 | 230 |
| Illinois | $52,660 | $51,020 | 590 |
| Indiana | $55,900 | $58,300 | 1,520 |
| Iowa | $55,210 | $57,030 | 330 |
| Kansas | $45,270 | $44,800 | 100 |
| Kentucky | $56,790 | $59,040 | 810 |
| Massachusetts | $57,140 | $58,480 | 240 |
| Michigan | $47,100 | $44,900 | 680 |
| Minnesota | $65,570 | $75,880 | 200 |
| Mississippi | $42,650 | $39,610 | 120 |
| Missouri | $57,010 | $55,480 | 200 |
| Nebraska | $53,350 | $52,800 | 60 |
| Nevada | $58,370 | $56,790 | 130 |
| New Hampshire | $49,260 | $46,380 | 60 |
| New Jersey | $68,820 | $75,020 | 150 |
| New Mexico | $50,960 | $50,260 | 60 |
| New York | $67,430 | $66,440 | 760 |
| North Carolina | $55,990 | $60,780 | 390 |
| Ohio | $54,970 | $55,080 | 1,790 |
| Oklahoma | $49,120 | $48,890 | 110 |
| Oregon | $66,610 | $64,410 | 400 |
| Pennsylvania | $56,610 | $55,910 | 1,230 |
| South Carolina | $48,160 | $44,160 | 290 |
| Tennessee | $58,000 | $57,490 | 730 |
| Texas | $51,010 | $46,670 | 600 |
| Utah | $58,980 | $60,510 | 330 |
| Virginia | $56,270 | $57,000 | 110 |
| Washington | $68,470 | $62,850 | 330 |
| West Virginia | $52,530 | $56,290 | 70 |
| Wisconsin | $51,410 | $48,260 | 540 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$58,210
700 jobsCleveland, OH
$60,740
520 jobsBirmingham, AL
$53,290
420 jobsTampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
$52,340
370 jobsPittsburgh, PA
$56,640
320 jobsCharlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$63,450
240 jobsSpokane-Spokane Valley, WA
$71,680
240 jobsReading, PA
$70,960
210 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do metal-refining furnace operators and tenders make?
The average is $55,490 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $54,430 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $26.68, and the median is $26.17 an hour.
Which state pays metal-refining furnace operators and tenders the most?
New Jersey, with an average of $68,820 a year. The best-paying metro area is Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA at $71,680.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $39,200 a year, and the top 10% earn over $74,470.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-4051. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.