SOC 51-9195.04Bright outlook

    Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers

    Shape molten glass according to patterns.

    Median pay
    $46,170
    Growth
    +5.8%
    Faster than average
    Openings a year
    5,100
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections · figures for the broader BLS group "Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic"

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    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $35,850
    Median
    $46,170
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $61,530
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    33,190 people work in this occupation.

    What glass blowers, molders, benders, and finishers do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Shape molten glass according to patterns.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    97 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    25 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    8 / 100
    Social (S)
    0 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    8 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    69 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Thinking Creatively
    84
    Getting Information
    75
    Handling and Moving Objects
    71
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    71
    Controlling Machines and Processes
    69
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    69
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    65
    Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information
    61
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    61
    Performing General Physical Activities
    59
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Monitoring
    • Quality Control Analysis
    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Operation and Control
    • Operations Monitoring
    • Speaking
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Reading Comprehension

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Design
    • Production and Processing
    • Chemistry
    • Engineering and Technology
    • Mechanical
    • Administration and Management
    • Administrative
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Mathematics

    Abilities

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Near Vision
    • Visualization
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Visual Color Discrimination
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Control Precision
    • Reaction Time
    • Selective Attention
    • Rate Control

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness
    • Self-Control
    • Perseverance
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Self-Confidence
    • Integrity
    • Innovation

    Also called

    Bender · Blow Molder · Blower · Bottle Blower · Gaffer · Glass Artist · Glass Bender · Glass Block Bender · Glass Finisher · Glass Lathe Operator

    Your plan

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    Related careers

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    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.