Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $29K, rent takes 60.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,213/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders typically earn — is $23K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,402/month.

Local pay runs 40% below the national median — $29K here vs. $48K nationally.

Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area pays $29K median vs. the U.S. average of $48K — that’s -40%.

The median is $28,900 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $23,360, and experienced furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders can clear $43,950. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,997/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,213/month, which eats 60.7% 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.

Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders salary is worth about $28,900 in national-average purchasing power.

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.