Glass Blower: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.
The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
BLS does not publish pay for glass blowers separately. Every pay figure on this page is for the BLS occupation “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” (SOC 51-9195), which includes glass blowers and other jobs; it is not a figure for glass blowers alone.
10% of workers in the BLS occupation “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $35,850
- Hourly
- $17.24
- Source
- BLS May 2025
25% of workers in the BLS occupation “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $39,280
- Hourly
- $18.88
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Half of workers in the BLS occupation “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” earn more than this and half earn less.
- Annual
- $46,170
- Hourly
- $22.20
- Source
- BLS May 2025
75% of workers in the BLS occupation “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $53,000
- Hourly
- $25.48
- Source
- BLS May 2025
90% of workers in the BLS occupation “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $61,530
- Hourly
- $29.58
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Glass Blowers shape molten glass according to patterns. The median pay is $46,170 a year ($22.20 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).
- Median pay
- $46,170
- BLS May 2025
- Employed in the U.S.
- 33,190
- BLS May 2025
- Preparation
- Job Zone 1-2 of 5
- very little to some preparation
Data Government data groups this job as Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers (O*NET-SOC 51-9195.04; BLS series “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic”). Figures on this page are for that occupation.
Glass Blowers at a glance
Workers in the BLS occupation “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” in the United States earned a median annual wage of $46,170 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for workers in the BLS occupation “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” in the United States.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS projects employment of workers in the BLS occupation “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” in the United States to grow 5.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 5,100 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS estimated that 33,190 people were employed in the BLS occupation “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Every page for Glass Blowers
What glass blowers do day to day
Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).
- Heat glass to pliable stage, using gas flames or ovens and rotating glass to heat it uniformly.
- Shape, bend, or join sections of glass, using paddles, pressing and flattening hand tools, or cork.
- Blow tubing into specified shapes to prevent glass from collapsing, using compressed air or own breath, or blow and rotate gathers in molds or on boards to obtain final shapes.
- Cut lengths of tubing to specified sizes, using files or cutting wheels.
- Inspect, weigh, and measure products to verify conformance to specifications, using instruments such as micrometers, calipers, magnifiers, or rulers.
- Develop sketches of glass products into blueprint specifications, applying knowledge of glass technology and glass blowing.
- Record manufacturing information, such as quantities, sizes, or types of goods produced.
- Determine types and quantities of glass required to fabricate products.
Industries that employ it
Data Share of all glass blower jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix). Figures cover all molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic (SOC 51-9195), the broader occupation.
- Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing51.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $47,430
- Specialty trade contractors7.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +0.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $51,780
- Plastics and rubber products manufacturing4.3% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $44,780
- Miscellaneous manufacturing3.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $46,060
- Administrative and support services2.2% of all jobs in this occupation · -2.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $35,840
- Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and miscellaneous retailers1.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +1.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $46,400
Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.
Ranked by importance to the job
Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.
Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Design, Production and Processing, Chemistry, Engineering and Technology, Mechanical.
Software glass blowers use
Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- Billing softwareBilling and invoicing software
- Inventory control softwareInventory management software
- Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
- Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareHot technology
Also called: Bender, Gaffer, Glass Artist, Glass Bender, Glass Block Bender, Glass Lathe Operator.
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How this page is built
Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
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