Careers / Tire Builders

Tire Builders — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$57,390

United States, 2025

Employment

20,770

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

Operate machines to build tires.

O*NET code
51-9197.00
Job zone
2
Experience required
None

Typical tasks

  • Measure tires to determine mold size requirements.
  • Build semi-raw rubber treads onto buffed tire casings to prepare tires for vulcanization in recapping or retreading processes.
  • Trim excess rubber and imperfections during retreading processes.
  • Fill cuts and holes in tires, using hot rubber.
  • Place tires into molds for new tread.
  • Fit inner tubes and final layers of rubber onto tires.
  • Buff tires according to specifications for width and undertread depth.
  • Brush or spray solvents onto plies to ensure adhesion, and repeat process as specified, alternating direction of each ply to strengthen tires.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$40,150
10th
$47,900
25th
$57,390
Median
$64,380
75th
$74,680
90th

10th percentile

$40,150

25th percentile

$47,900

75th percentile

$64,380

90th percentile

$74,680

Most important skills

  • Operation and Control3.3
  • Operations Monitoring3.1
  • Monitoring3.0
  • Active Listening3.0
  • Critical Thinking3.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making2.8
  • Time Management2.8
  • Quality Control Analysis2.6
  • Speaking2.6
  • Social Perceptiveness2.4
  • Complex Problem Solving2.3
  • Reading Comprehension2.3

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 5 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

5

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

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Operations Monitoring3.13.4Not selected3.4
Operation and Control3.33.1Not selected3.1
Monitoring3.02.9Not selected2.9
Active Listening3.02.6Not selected2.6
Critical Thinking3.02.5Not selected2.5

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
TN$74,1001,3602025
NC$63,9503,7502025
Des Moines, IA$63,0603102025
IL$59,8302025
OH$56,3707802025
Jackson, MS$55,3801302025
TX$54,8806102025
MS$53,0507102025
Fort Wayne, IN$51,1707202025
IN$51,1701,3202025
IA$50,6005102025
Charlotte, NC$48,6902802025
CT$48,630902025
OR$48,3802502025
Indianapolis, IN$47,190902025
Cincinnati, OH$46,8101502025
NY$46,5505302025
MD$46,290602025
KY$46,0102702025
OK$45,8302025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Tire Builders to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career 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.