Careers / Foundry Mold and Coremakers
Foundry Mold and Coremakers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$48,110
United States, 2025
Employment
12,790
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Make or form wax or sand cores or molds used in the production of metal castings in foundries.
- O*NET code
- 51-4071.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Cut spouts, runner holes, and sprue holes into molds.
- Tend machines that bond cope and drag together to form completed shell molds.
- Clean and smooth molds, cores, and core boxes, and repair surface imperfections.
- Sift and pack sand into mold sections, core boxes, and pattern contours, using hand or pneumatic ramming tools.
- Position patterns inside mold sections, and clamp sections together.
- Position cores into lower sections of molds, and reassemble molds for pouring.
- Sprinkle or spray parting agents onto patterns and mold sections to facilitate removal of patterns from molds.
- Form and assemble slab cores around patterns, and position wire in mold sections to reinforce molds, using hand tools and glue.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$37,160
25th percentile
$41,870
75th percentile
$57,350
90th percentile
$62,640
Most important skills
- Monitoring3.0
- Operations Monitoring3.0
- Time Management2.9
- Critical Thinking2.9
- Active Listening2.9
- Speaking2.6
- Judgment and Decision Making2.6
- Operation and Control2.6
- Complex Problem Solving2.6
- Quality Control Analysis2.4
- Active Learning2.4
- Coordination2.3
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 2 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
2
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.0 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.0 | 2.4 | Not selected | 2.4 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Foundry Mold and CoremakersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR | $67,060 | 230 | 2025 |
| OR | $67,060 | 270 | 2025 |
| MO | $61,480 | 590 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $58,090 | 60 | 2025 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $57,630 | 210 | 2025 |
| IL | $57,110 | 390 | 2025 |
| MN | $56,840 | 470 | 2025 |
| MA | $55,940 | 60 | 2025 |
| NJ | $55,210 | 330 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $55,210 | 320 | 2025 |
| Waterloo, IA | $54,920 | 80 | 2025 |
| NY | $54,380 | 110 | 2025 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $54,080 | 120 | 2025 |
| Charlotte, NC | $52,010 | 80 | 2025 |
| AL | $51,040 | 850 | 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | $50,610 | 170 | 2025 |
| Anniston, AL | $50,420 | 170 | 2025 |
| IN | $49,860 | 720 | 2025 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $49,600 | — | 2025 |
| IA | $49,060 | 480 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Foundry Mold and Coremakers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.