Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $65K, rent takes 29.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,337/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new metal-refining furnace operators and tenders typically earn — is $45K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,697/month.

Local pay is 20% above the national median — $65K here vs. $54K nationally.

West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area pays $65K median vs. the U.S. average of $54K — that’s +20%.

The median is $65,160 a year, that works out to about $31 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $44,950, and experienced metal-refining furnace operators and tenders can clear $65,160. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,519/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,337/month, which eats 29.6% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

West Tennessee 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 metal-refining furnace operators and tenders salary is worth about $65,160 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.