Potters, Manufacturing
Operate production machines such as pug mill, jigger machine, or potter's wheel to process clay in manufacture of ceramic, pottery and stoneware products.
Also called: Clay Mixer · Glazer · Jigger Artisan · Jigger Machine Operator · Jiggerman · Kiln Worker
Median pay (national)
$45,690
$34,950–$61,050 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
34,750
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+6.2%
~5,500 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for potters, manufacturing shows a relatively narrow range: the top 10% earn $61,050 versus $34,950 at the bottom 10% — 1.7x. The median of $45,690 leaves roughly 34% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +6.2% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 5,500 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 46 states with released data, Hawaii pays the most for this role (median $74,780, +64% vs the national median), while Mississippi sits lowest at $30,070 — a 149% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Mix and apply glazes to pottery pieces, using tools, such as spray guns.
- Raise and shape clay into wares, such as vases and pitchers, on revolving wheels, using hands, fingers, and thumbs.
- Position balls of clay in centers of potters' wheels, and start motors or pump treadles with feet to revolve wheels.
- Press thumbs into centers of revolving clay to form hollows, and press on the inside and outside of emerging clay cylinders with hands and fingers, gradually raising and shaping clay to desired forms and sizes.
- Pack and ship pottery to stores or galleries for retail sale.
- Smooth surfaces of finished pieces, using rubber scrapers and wet sponges.
- Pull wires through bases of articles and wheels to separate finished pieces.
- Operate pug mills to blend and extrude clay.
- Perform test-fires of pottery to determine how to achieve specific colors and textures.
- Operate gas or electric kilns to fire pottery pieces.
Tools & technology
- Inventory control software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Outlook
Knowledge areas
- Fine Arts
- Production and Processing
- Design
- Customer and Personal Service
- Chemistry
- Administration and Management
- Sales and Marketing
- Engineering and Technology