Salary guide, May 2025
Heat Treat Technician pay, United States
Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
The median annual wage for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in the United States was $53,750 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $46,790 and $63,010.
Direct match · SOC 51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Heat Treat Technician is shown within the broader published occupation. BLS does not separate this plant-specific title, seniority, shift, process or credential. Compare the duties with the SOC definition before using the range.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $39,240 | $46,790 | $53,750 | $63,010 | $77,530 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $18.87 | $22.50 | $25.84 | $30.29 | $37.28 |
BLS estimated 416,210 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
How does pay compare in the target metros?
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $54,590 | $47,870 to $62,630 | 3,510 | 0.46 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $49,930 | $46,670 to $60,310 | 2,520 | 0.65 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $50,200 | $45,940 to $59,630 | 2,020 | 0.53 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $56,940 | $47,190 to $60,980 | 1,090 | 0.55 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $61,680 | $52,790 to $75,930 | 5,780 | 0.23 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $61,680 | $52,790 to $75,930 | 5,780 | 0.23 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $51,630 | $46,180 to $62,670 | 10,620 | 0.98 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $52,650 | $46,270 to $61,750 | 9,320 | 0.77 |
Rank every metro for Heat Treat Technician
What should you know about pay by manufacturing industry, United States?
Same BLS occupation, national estimates for each manufacturing industry (NAICS) BLS publishes, May 2025. Industry names are BLS labels. Nested NAICS rows overlap; they are not independent samples and must not be added together. Identical source rows repeated at different publication levels appear once.
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing (NAICS 324000)$99,570
- Chemical Manufacturing (NAICS 325000)$76,240
- Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing (NAICS 312000)$67,540
- Food Manufacturing (NAICS 311000)$64,980
- Machinery Manufacturing (NAICS 333000)$53,660
- Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (NAICS 327000)$53,550
- Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing (NAICS 335000)$51,580
- Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (NAICS 336000)$51,100
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (NAICS 332000)$50,870
- Primary Metal Manufacturing (NAICS 331000)$50,700
- Wood Product Manufacturing (NAICS 321000)$49,970
- Miscellaneous Manufacturing (NAICS 339000)$49,890
- Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (NAICS 337000)$47,860
- Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing (NAICS 334000)$47,400
- Textile Product Mills (NAICS 314000)$46,370
Bars compare up to 15 non-overlapping 3-digit manufacturing subsectors with exact annual medians. More detailed scopes remain in the table, identified by code and publication level.
| NAICS / scope | Industry | Employment | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31-33 · sector | Manufacturing | 274,710 | $46,560 | $51,210 | $60,920 |
| 332000 · 3-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 112,520 | $46,470 | $50,870 | $60,450 |
| 3320A2 · 4-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 70,020 | $46,540 | $50,640 | $60,410 |
| 333000 · 3-digit | Machinery Manufacturing | 63,880 | $47,530 | $53,660 | $61,020 |
| 336000 · 3-digit | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 63,500 | $46,560 | $51,100 | $61,980 |
| 3330A1 · 4-digit | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 56,750 | $47,520 | $53,680 | $61,000 |
| 3320A1 · 4-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 25,910 | $46,290 | $50,870 | $59,990 |
| 336200 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | 22,560 | $46,190 | $49,340 | $56,790 |
| 332700 · 4-digit | Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 15,760 | $46,570 | $52,280 | $61,120 |
| 332710 · 5-digit | Machine Shops | 14,960 | $46,790 | $52,240 | $61,110 |
| 336300 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 14,470 | $40,180 | $47,300 | $54,890 |
| 336600 · 4-digit | Ship and Boat Building | 14,370 | $50,580 | $62,470 | $66,960 |
| 331000 · 3-digit | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 7,520 | $44,640 | $50,700 | $61,010 |
| 335000 · 3-digit | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 5,830 | $46,700 | $51,580 | $59,810 |
| 334000 · 3-digit | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 4,840 | $39,080 | $47,400 | $59,210 |
| 339000 · 3-digit | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 4,330 | $46,070 | $49,890 | $57,980 |
| 336400 · 4-digit | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 4,160 | $54,690 | $64,140 | $78,700 |
| 337000 · 3-digit | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 3,480 | $41,670 | $47,860 | $51,660 |
| 3370A1 · 4-digit | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 3,340 | $41,670 | $47,700 | $51,390 |
| 339900 · 4-digit | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 3,270 | $45,400 | $49,310 | $58,060 |
| 333500 · 4-digit | Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing | 3,090 | $47,940 | $54,490 | $62,110 |
| 335300 · 4-digit | Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 3,080 | $47,480 | $55,820 | $62,050 |
| 333300 · 4-digit | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 3,010 | $47,220 | $51,270 | $60,120 |
| 336100 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 2,970 | $52,320 | $63,360 | $78,150 |
| 331100 · 4-digit | Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing | 2,920 | $42,520 | $46,430 | $58,760 |
| 336900 · 4-digit | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 2,680 | $37,310 | $49,280 | $62,250 |
| 334500 · 4-digit | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 2,310 | $45,990 | $55,640 | $62,300 |
| 336500 · 4-digit | Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing | 2,280 | $49,210 | $52,950 | $62,490 |
| 331200 · 4-digit | Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel | 2,160 | $46,460 | $53,740 | $61,630 |
| 327000 · 3-digit | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 2,080 | $46,150 | $53,550 | $63,890 |
| 325000 · 3-digit | Chemical Manufacturing | 2,060 | $71,790 | $76,240 | $79,850 |
| 3250A1 · 4-digit | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 1,970 | $72,890 | $76,240 | $79,850 |
| 334400 · 4-digit | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 1,930 | $37,780 | $43,000 | $48,010 |
| 331500 · 4-digit | Foundries | 1,700 | $49,380 | $55,820 | $64,360 |
| 326000 · 3-digit | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 1,610 | $39,840 | $45,920 | $57,150 |
| 335900 · 4-digit | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 1,250 | $45,460 | $51,000 | $56,380 |
| 335200 · 4-digit | Household Appliance Manufacturing | 1,150 | $48,000 | $48,560 | $54,190 |
| 326100 · 4-digit | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 1,130 | $38,900 | $44,430 | $53,300 |
| 339100 · 4-digit | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 1,050 | $49,890 | $49,890 | $57,760 |
| 333600 · 4-digit | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 1,030 | $47,710 | $57,730 | $63,340 |
| 332800 · 4-digit | Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 830 | $43,830 | $49,700 | $58,530 |
| 332720 · 5-digit | Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 790 | $43,970 | $53,730 | $62,670 |
| 311000 · 3-digit | Food Manufacturing | 760 | $59,620 | $64,980 | $70,660 |
| 314000 · 3-digit | Textile Product Mills | 640 | $37,790 | $46,370 | $55,860 |
| 314900 · 4-digit | Other Textile Product Mills | 630 | $38,110 | $46,680 | $55,990 |
| 321000 · 3-digit | Wood Product Manufacturing | 550 | $44,500 | $49,970 | $57,750 |
| 326200 · 4-digit | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 480 | $43,680 | $49,190 | $59,020 |
| 324000 · 3-digit | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 470 | $69,140 | $99,570 | $106,940 |
| 324100 · 4-digit | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 470 | $69,140 | $99,570 | $106,940 |
| 321900 · 4-digit | Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 450 | $45,080 | $49,610 | $57,750 |
| 311300 · 4-digit | Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing | 410 | $60,560 | $65,520 | $69,910 |
| 331400 · 4-digit | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 400 | $46,640 | $50,160 | $63,460 |
| 334200 · 4-digit | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 350 | $43,990 | $49,050 | $55,480 |
| 335100 · 4-digit | Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing | 350 | $42,640 | $46,390 | $57,370 |
| 331300 · 4-digit | Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing | 340 | $46,420 | $51,630 | $62,980 |
| 337900 · 4-digit | Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing | 140 | $47,680 | $49,230 | $57,200 |
| 322100 · 4-digit | Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills | 130 | $47,690 | $68,120 | $85,580 |
| 334300 · 4-digit | Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing | 130 | $37,840 | $42,320 | $45,960 |
| 334100 · 4-digit | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 120 | $37,050 | $38,490 | $46,430 |
| 311600 · 4-digit | Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 90 | $59,860 | $63,360 | $69,070 |
| 311200 · 4-digit | Grain and Oilseed Milling | 70 | $52,760 | $63,100 | $72,030 |
| 3250A2 · 4-digit | Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) | 70 | $50,160 | $68,800 | $71,520 |
| 321100 · 4-digit | Sawmills and Wood Preservation | 60 | $47,010 | $54,020 | $65,790 |
| 311500 · 4-digit | Dairy Product Manufacturing | 50 | $67,840 | $72,840 | $76,900 |
| 311700 · 4-digit | Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging | 50 | $59,800 | $61,400 | $62,580 |
| 321200 · 4-digit | Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing | 40 | $40,490 | $45,260 | $51,590 |
| 311900 · 4-digit | Other Food Manufacturing | 30 | $52,980 | $67,610 | $83,540 |
| 312000 · 3-digit | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 30 | $61,750 | $67,540 | $78,980 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Heat Treat Technician, write the straight-time rate separately from shift coverage and extra hours. OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. It includes base rate, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits.
An attendance bonus is not a production bonus; confirm its purpose and treatment rather than adding every bonus to the BLS figure. Skills-based pay steps affect the base rate when they are part of straight-time pay; BLS does not publish a separate rate for each plant's skill grade. Ask whether a tool allowance is expense reimbursement or wage pay. OEWS does not publish a separate tool-allowance component. Keep these items separate in the offer so the published wage is not mistaken for the whole package.
Pay mix here means how published medians for this one BLS occupation differ across manufacturing industries and against the all-industry median. It does not split pay into base, incentive or overtime. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses.
What should you know about two BLS releases?
| Release period | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | $45,580 | $51,000 | $61,610 |
| May 2025 | $46,790 | $53,750 | $63,010 |
These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.
What should you know about supervisory and worker occupations?
BLS publishes these as separate occupations. Pay for one is not a pay step for the other.
- Supervisor occupation: Production Supervisor pay (SOC 51-1011)
Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.
What should you know about the authority you are offering?
Settle specified thermal processing rather than routine furnace loading alone before outreach begins. We put the difference around specified thermal processing rather than routine furnace loading alone in front of you so the interview tests missing experience rather than assuming it is already there.
What should you know about questions?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
What is the median pay for a Heat Treat Technician?
The median annual wage for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in the United States was $53,750 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $46,790 and $63,010.
What does the 10th percentile mean here?
10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $39,240. 90% earned less than $77,530.
Does this include overtime or bonuses?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
Is this the pay for a Heat Treat Technician at a plant?
Heat Treat Technician is shown within the broader published occupation. BLS does not separate this plant-specific title, seniority, shift, process or credential. Compare the duties with the SOC definition before using the range. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimated 416,210 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
Production Welder (MIG) pay TIG Welder pay Code Welder (ASME / Pressure Vessel) pay Robotic Welding Technician pay Press Brake Operator pay Heat Treat Technician pay ranked across all metros Open jobs Heat Treat Technician recruiting Check an offer for this role
What does this data mean for your opening?
Manufacturing Headhunters reviews the Heat Treat Technician role under SOC 51-4121. The BLS data classifies this role within the broad category of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers. This national classification combines diverse plant roles, meaning the BLS figures exclude specific thermal processing credentials and furnace-load cycle verification tasks.
Data from May 2025 shows a national median of $53,750, a change of $2,750 from the May 2024 median of $51,000. The P25 is $46,790 and the P75 is $63,010, resulting in a middle-band width of $16,220.
National industry data for Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing lists a median of $99,570, while Chemical Manufacturing reports $76,240. These national figures reflect the broader occupation. Regional comparisons include Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, with a median of $57,940 and a middle-band width of $24,990, and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, with a median of $51,630 and a middle-band width of $16,490. Location quotient serves as a measure of employment concentration for these metros, not candidate availability or local wage scales. Actual pay components like shift differentials, overtime, and tool allowances are excluded from these BLS measures.
The P10 of $39,240 and P90 of $77,530 establish the outer boundaries of the national occupation range. Since BLS does not isolate heat treat furnace specialists, the data reflects the full occupational breadth. Applicants and hiring managers must reconcile specific furnace-load decision duties and thermal cycle verification requirements with the broader occupational definitions provided. For Heat Treat Technician in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $53,750; the May 2024 median is $51,000. Their arithmetic difference is $2,750. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
How do I account for the gap between the national median and industry-specific figures?
The national median of $53,750 represents all workers in SOC 51-4121, while industry rows like Petroleum at $99,570 track higher-paying sectors. Use industry-specific rows as a directional indicator for specialized plant roles rather than the occupation-wide average.
Does this data reflect specific furnace-load control experience?
No, the BLS classification 51-4121 encompasses many types of thermal and welding work and does not distinguish by process or seniority. You must assess individual candidate experience in furnace-load decisions independently of these broad salary figures.
Why is the middle-band width significant for budgeting?
The $16,220 middle-band width indicates the spread between the P25 and P75, showing the market variance for the role. This range captures the impact of skill levels and regional cost differences within the broader national job pool.
Related recruiting or pay page · Related wage comparison 1 · Data methodology · Related wage comparison 3 · Related wage comparison 4