Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (SOC 51-4034) earn a median $50,620 a year ($24.34 an hour) in the United States, with 16,710 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Colorado.
What lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic do
Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders cut metal or plastic stock, such as wire, rod, or bar, as it spins, shaping it by turning, boring, facing, or threading. Some move toolholders by hand or with handwheels, while others engage automatic feeding mechanisms to carry tools to and along the workpiece. The setter studies blueprints and job orders, sets cutting speeds, feed rates, and depths, and positions tools relative to the part. During production the operator inspects sample pieces with micrometers, dial indicators, and gauges, and makes small adjustments to keep dimensions within tolerance. Dull tools are replaced or resharpened on bench or cutter grinders. Unspecified dimensions and machine settings are worked out with shop mathematics and knowledge of metal properties, and machines may be cranked through cycles to check timing, clearances, and tolerances.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, a high school diploma or equivalent is the most common level of education reported by workers in this occupation.
Also called: Automatic Screwmaker, Automatic Spinning Lathe Operator, Automatic Spinning Lathe Setter, Axle Turner, Back Facer.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $17.63 | $20.79 | $24.34 | $29.18 | $33.51 | $25.24 | 16,710 |
| Annual | $36,670 | $43,250 | $50,620 | $60,700 | $69,700 | $52,490 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Colorado | Hourly | $27.03 | $29.13 | $34.46 | $37.96 | $43.83 | $33.55 | 150 | 0.05 | 0.49 |
| Annual | $56,230 | $60,600 | $71,670 | $78,970 | $91,160 | $69,780 | ||||
| Maine | Hourly | $21.34 | $22.03 | $31.15 | $31.98 | $31.98 | $28.50 | 80 | 0.13 | 1.17 |
| Annual | $44,380 | $45,830 | $64,800 | $66,510 | $66,510 | $59,270 | ||||
| Minnesota | Hourly | $22.26 | $23.44 | $29.33 | $31.23 | $35.79 | $29.03 | 150 | 0.05 | 0.46 |
| Annual | $46,290 | $48,760 | $61,000 | $64,960 | $74,440 | $60,380 | ||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $20.80 | $23.33 | $29.27 | $33.14 | $38.68 | $29.17 | 690 | 0.19 | 1.76 |
| Annual | $43,260 | $48,520 | $60,870 | $68,930 | $80,440 | $60,670 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $20.91 | $23.14 | $28.93 | $33.05 | $38.31 | $28.84 | 2,600 | 0.14 | 1.33 |
| Annual | $43,480 | $48,130 | $60,180 | $68,740 | $79,690 | $59,980 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $20.91 | $23.14 | $28.93 | $33.05 | $38.31 | $28.84 | 2,600 | 0.14 | 1.33 |
| Annual | $43,480 | $48,130 | $60,180 | $68,740 | $79,690 | $59,980 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $12.79 | $15.49 | $23.09 | $26.66 | $27.37 | $21.22 | 2,150 | 0.15 | 1.42 |
| Annual | $26,610 | $32,210 | $48,020 | $55,460 | $56,930 | $44,150 | ||||
| Michigan | Hourly | $17.61 | $18.84 | $22.44 | $28.58 | $30.02 | $23.51 | 1,540 | 0.35 | 3.26 |
| Annual | $36,630 | $39,190 | $46,680 | $59,450 | $62,430 | $48,900 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $17.30 | $21.42 | $26.41 | $27.56 | $30.21 | $24.88 | 1,260 | 0.21 | 1.92 |
| Annual | $35,990 | $44,550 | $54,930 | $57,330 | $62,830 | $51,750 | ||||
| Ohio | Hourly | $18.84 | $21.50 | $23.98 | $29.25 | $32.49 | $25.15 | 1,180 | 0.21 | 1.97 |
| Annual | $39,190 | $44,730 | $49,880 | $60,840 | $67,580 | $52,310 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Hourly | $23.46 | $25.31 | $35.78 | $38.31 | $47.39 | $33.90 | 360 | 0.32 | 2.99 |
| Annual | $48,790 | $52,650 | $74,420 | $79,690 | $98,560 | $70,500 | ||||
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | Hourly | $20.56 | $22.80 | $32.20 | $37.95 | $45.40 | $32.35 | 80 | 0.21 | 1.94 |
| Annual | $42,760 | $47,420 | $66,980 | $78,940 | $94,430 | $67,280 | ||||
| Pittsburgh, PA | Hourly | $22.01 | $24.96 | $31.97 | $31.97 | $31.97 | $28.85 | 220 | 0.20 | 1.88 |
| Annual | $45,780 | $51,910 | $66,500 | $66,500 | $66,500 | $60,010 | ||||
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | Hourly | $22.26 | $24.26 | $31.23 | $31.29 | $35.79 | $29.43 | 130 | 0.07 | 0.64 |
| Annual | $46,290 | $50,460 | $64,950 | $65,080 | $74,440 | $61,220 | ||||
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | Hourly | $27.67 | $29.19 | $31.15 | $37.14 | $46.27 | $33.71 | 60 | 0.04 | 0.33 |
| Annual | $57,550 | $60,720 | $64,790 | $77,240 | $96,240 | $70,110 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $21.33 | $23.23 | $28.90 | $30.00 | $37.27 | $27.92 | 1,280 | 0.21 | 1.90 |
| Annual | $44,360 | $48,310 | $60,110 | $62,400 | $77,520 | $58,080 | ||||
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | Hourly | $13.51 | $17.07 | $23.03 | $27.18 | $27.47 | $21.38 | 1,020 | 0.31 | 2.88 |
| Annual | $28,100 | $35,500 | $47,900 | $56,530 | $57,140 | $44,480 | ||||
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | Hourly | $17.71 | $19.64 | $23.66 | $28.87 | $30.26 | $24.48 | 740 | 0.39 | 3.63 |
| Annual | $36,840 | $40,840 | $49,210 | $60,040 | $62,940 | $50,910 | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $18.00 | $18.58 | $24.03 | $28.58 | $31.55 | $24.71 | 590 | 0.13 | 1.22 |
| Annual | $37,440 | $38,650 | $49,980 | $59,450 | $65,630 | $51,390 | ||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | $22.75 | $23.55 | $29.75 | $33.70 | $38.68 | $29.68 | 510 | 0.19 | 1.77 |
| Annual | $47,320 | $48,980 | $61,890 | $70,100 | $80,440 | $61,740 | ||||
Top industries employing lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing employ 37.1% of lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic nationally (6,200 jobs) at a median $49,210 a year ($23.66 an hour), followed by Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) (18.9%) and Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (5.9%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing NAICS 332700 | 6,200 | 37.1% | $49,210 | $23.66 |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) NAICS 3320A1 | 3,160 | 18.9% | $47,950 | $23.05 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing NAICS 336400 | 980 | 5.9% | $62,400 | $30.00 |
| Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) NAICS 3330A1 | 950 | 5.7% | $55,890 | $26.87 |
| Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing NAICS 333500 | 940 | 5.6% | $54,950 | $26.42 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (16,710). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $44,240 for lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in May 2021 and $50,620 in May 2025, with employment of 19,690 and 16,710.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $44,240 | $21.27 | 19,690 |
| May 2022 | $47,020 | $22.61 | 19,410 |
| May 2023 | $47,110 | $22.65 | 19,560 |
| May 2024 | $48,620 | $23.38 | 18,970 |
| May 2025 | $50,620 | $24.34 | 16,710 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
36 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado profile | $34.46 | $71,670 | $56,230 | $91,160 | 150 | 0.05 | 0.49 |
| 2 | Maine profile | $31.15 | $64,800 | $44,380 | $66,510 | 80 | 0.13 | 1.17 |
| 3 | Minnesota profile | $29.33 | $61,000 | $46,290 | $74,440 | 150 | 0.05 | 0.46 |
| 4 | Massachusetts profile | $29.27 | $60,870 | $43,260 | $80,440 | 690 | 0.19 | 1.76 |
| 5 | California profile | $28.93 | $60,180 | $43,480 | $79,690 | 2,600 | 0.14 | 1.33 |
| 6 | Alabama profile | $28.12 | $58,490 | $41,560 | $74,970 | 100 | 0.05 | 0.45 |
| 7 | Nevada profile | $28.00 | $58,240 | $38,180 | $71,810 | 60 | 0.04 | 0.34 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania profile | $27.41 | $57,020 | $43,570 | $66,500 | 580 | 0.10 | 0.89 |
| 9 | Arizona profile | $26.85 | $55,840 | $50,470 | $80,300 | 110 | 0.04 | 0.33 |
| 10 | Illinois profile | $26.41 | $54,930 | $35,990 | $62,830 | 1,260 | 0.21 | 1.92 |
| 11 | Maryland profile | $26.38 | $54,860 | $40,000 | $79,410 | 60 | 0.02 | 0.20 |
| 12 | North Carolina profile | $25.89 | $53,840 | $39,190 | $63,100 | 310 | 0.06 | 0.59 |
| 13 | West Virginia profile | $25.80 | $53,660 | $39,420 | $63,120 | 50 | 0.07 | 0.64 |
| 14 | Wisconsin profile | $24.53 | $51,020 | $37,780 | $69,100 | 340 | 0.12 | 1.07 |
| 15 | New York profile | $24.40 | $50,760 | $41,110 | $69,630 | 530 | 0.06 | 0.51 |
| 16 | Louisiana profile | $24.31 | $50,560 | $37,340 | $66,090 | 90 | 0.05 | 0.43 |
| 17 | Iowa profile | $24.21 | $50,370 | $47,070 | $67,990 | 180 | 0.11 | 1.05 |
| 18 | Georgia profile | $24.13 | $50,180 | $39,720 | $62,300 | 100 | 0.02 | 0.19 |
| 19 | Ohio profile | $23.98 | $49,880 | $39,190 | $67,580 | 1,180 | 0.21 | 1.97 |
| 20 | South Carolina profile | $23.79 | $49,490 | $39,090 | $68,260 | 370 | 0.16 | 1.49 |
| 21 | Indiana profile | $23.76 | $49,420 | $40,300 | $62,870 | 710 | 0.22 | 2.08 |
| 22 | Connecticut profile | $23.74 | $49,380 | $36,770 | $77,440 | 690 | 0.41 | 3.79 |
| 23 | New Hampshire profile | $23.55 | $48,980 | $43,080 | $62,170 | 150 | 0.22 | 2.02 |
| 24 | Missouri profile | $23.53 | $48,950 | $33,410 | $63,350 | 160 | 0.06 | 0.51 |
| 25 | Virginia profile | $23.52 | $48,920 | $38,190 | $61,790 | 210 | 0.05 | 0.47 |
| 26 | New Jersey profile | $23.17 | $48,180 | $36,120 | $75,110 | 190 | 0.04 | 0.41 |
| 27 | Texas profile | $23.09 | $48,020 | $26,610 | $56,930 | 2,150 | 0.15 | 1.42 |
| 28 | Nebraska profile | $22.76 | $47,350 | $42,470 | $63,000 | 120 | 0.12 | 1.11 |
| 29 | Kansas profile | $22.75 | $47,310 | $38,770 | $75,120 | 90 | 0.06 | 0.57 |
| 30 | Kentucky profile | $22.62 | $47,060 | $35,720 | $62,530 | 250 | 0.12 | 1.14 |
| 31 | Michigan profile | $22.44 | $46,680 | $36,630 | $62,430 | 1,540 | 0.35 | 3.26 |
| 32 | Florida profile | $21.49 | $44,710 | $38,940 | $54,500 | 140 | 0.01 | 0.13 |
| 33 | Oklahoma profile | $21.00 | $43,680 | $33,280 | $56,610 | 240 | 0.14 | 1.30 |
| 34 | Oregon profile | $20.02 | $41,640 | $38,020 | $66,870 | 40 | 0.02 | 0.19 |
| 35 | Tennessee profile | $19.58 | $40,730 | $35,080 | $59,910 | 700 | 0.21 | 1.99 |
| 36 | Arkansas profile | $18.78 | $39,060 | $31,860 | $51,410 | 190 | 0.14 | 1.33 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (51-4030), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Production Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 51-4034 Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 51-4034, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 51-4034.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.