Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastics in Alabama make a median of $46,970 a year, or about $22.58 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $79K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.36), which stretches that salary to about $53,158 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,085/month, about 33.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of Alabama. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $47K get you in Alabama?
About forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics
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What this looks like in Alabama
Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic pay in Alabama tracks closely to the national median, $47K locally vs. $49K nationwide, a 4% difference. Rent runs $1,085/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 34.6% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.36 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 12% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Alabama
Entry-level forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $47K. Top earners bring in $79K or more, a $42K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Alabama numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic afford a 2BR apartment alone in Alabama?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $47K, rent takes 34.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,085/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics in Alabama?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,216/month. At HUD’s $1,085/month FMR, rent would take 49% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic a high-paying job in Alabama?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $47K locally vs. $49K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does Alabama compare to the national average for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics?
Alabama pays $47K median vs. the U.S. average of $49K — that’s -4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.36), the purchasing-power equivalent is $53K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics make in Alabama?
The median is $46,970 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,940, and experienced forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics can clear $78,620. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $47K enough to live in Alabama?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,133/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,085/month, which eats 34.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary go in Alabama?
Alabama has a Regional Price Parity of 88.36 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary is worth about $53,158 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.