Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (SOC 51-9023) earn a median $48,990 a year ($23.55 an hour) in the United States, with 94,920 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Massachusetts.
What mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders do
Mixing and blending machine operators combine materials in the proportions a formula demands, working with chemicals, tobacco, liquids, color pigments, spices, livestock feed, and explosive ingredients. Food batchmakers, whose products are meant to be eaten, are excluded and have their own code. From the work order, the operator learns the production specifications, weighs or measures each ingredient, loads the mixer, and starts it for a set time. They watch the machine to make sure it is running safely and efficiently, and they stop it when the mixture reaches the specified qualities, then open valves and start pumps to move the batch on. Some compound dyes and other ingredients according to formulas. Titles listed by O*NET, such as acid mixer and abrasive mixer, point to the chemical-processing side of the work. Materials, ingredients, and products are examined by eye or by hand to confirm they meet established standards.
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: Abrasive Mixer, Acetylene Cylinder Packing Mixer, Acid Adjuster, Acid Blower, Acid Mixer.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $17.69 | $20.60 | $23.55 | $28.78 | $33.75 | $25.04 | 94,920 |
| Annual | $36,790 | $42,850 | $48,990 | $59,860 | $70,200 | $52,090 | ||
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 mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders 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 | ||||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $19.54 | $24.21 | $29.23 | $31.67 | $36.02 | $28.33 | 420 | 0.12 | 0.19 |
| Annual | $40,640 | $50,360 | $60,790 | $65,870 | $74,920 | $58,930 | ||||
| Minnesota | Hourly | $21.93 | $24.04 | $28.49 | $31.69 | $37.16 | $28.98 | 1,760 | 0.60 | 0.98 |
| Annual | $45,610 | $50,000 | $59,270 | $65,920 | $77,290 | $60,270 | ||||
| Wyoming | Hourly | $21.32 | $25.21 | $28.04 | $35.24 | $37.55 | $28.71 | 210 | 0.74 | 1.21 |
| Annual | $44,350 | $52,430 | $58,320 | $73,300 | $78,110 | $59,710 | ||||
| New Jersey | Hourly | $18.24 | $22.45 | $27.79 | $31.66 | $36.17 | $27.56 | 2,050 | 0.48 | 0.78 |
| Annual | $37,940 | $46,690 | $57,810 | $65,850 | $75,240 | $57,330 | ||||
| Maine | Hourly | $18.95 | $23.13 | $26.70 | $30.57 | $38.67 | $27.82 | 220 | 0.34 | 0.56 |
| Annual | $39,420 | $48,120 | $55,540 | $63,590 | $80,430 | $57,860 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $18.97 | $22.18 | $25.75 | $30.44 | $35.44 | $27.37 | 10,240 | 1.68 | 2.75 |
| Annual | $39,460 | $46,120 | $53,560 | $63,320 | $73,720 | $56,920 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $14.96 | $17.95 | $21.79 | $26.41 | $30.98 | $22.70 | 6,350 | 0.45 | 0.74 |
| Annual | $31,110 | $37,330 | $45,320 | $54,930 | $64,430 | $47,220 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $18.38 | $20.65 | $24.34 | $30.55 | $38.14 | $27.14 | 5,730 | 0.32 | 0.52 |
| Annual | $38,220 | $42,940 | $50,640 | $63,540 | $79,340 | $56,440 | ||||
| Ohio | Hourly | $17.86 | $19.98 | $22.94 | $28.32 | $34.05 | $24.42 | 5,230 | 0.94 | 1.54 |
| Annual | $37,150 | $41,570 | $47,720 | $58,910 | $70,830 | $50,790 | ||||
| Indiana | Hourly | $17.98 | $21.16 | $22.91 | $28.21 | $32.02 | $24.38 | 4,840 | 1.51 | 2.48 |
| Annual | $37,390 | $44,020 | $47,650 | $58,670 | $66,600 | $50,700 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | Hourly | $21.21 | $23.83 | $36.44 | $47.90 | $55.80 | $36.48 | 310 | 0.28 | 0.46 |
| Annual | $44,110 | $49,570 | $75,790 | $99,630 | $116,070 | $75,880 | ||||
| Duluth, MN-WI | Hourly | $27.96 | $28.91 | $35.20 | $35.63 | $35.63 | $32.29 | 120 | 0.96 | 1.58 |
| Annual | $58,160 | $60,140 | $73,210 | $74,110 | $74,110 | $67,160 | ||||
| Wausau, WI | Hourly | $23.17 | $28.34 | $33.21 | $36.61 | $38.47 | $31.94 | 190 | 2.75 | 4.51 |
| Annual | $48,190 | $58,960 | $69,080 | $76,140 | $80,020 | $66,430 | ||||
| Fayetteville, NC | Hourly | $16.43 | $21.20 | $32.45 | $37.66 | $37.66 | $28.19 | 100 | 0.73 | 1.19 |
| Annual | $34,170 | $44,090 | $67,500 | $78,320 | $78,320 | $58,640 | ||||
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | Hourly | $18.77 | $24.33 | $31.63 | $31.63 | $31.63 | $28.13 | 70 | 1.35 | 2.21 |
| Annual | $39,050 | $50,610 | $65,790 | $65,790 | $65,790 | $58,500 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $18.86 | $21.99 | $24.15 | $29.99 | $35.48 | $26.33 | 6,550 | 1.45 | 2.38 |
| Annual | $39,220 | $45,740 | $50,230 | $62,380 | $73,800 | $54,770 | ||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $17.36 | $21.40 | $27.30 | $31.13 | $36.62 | $27.13 | 3,430 | 0.36 | 0.59 |
| Annual | $36,110 | $44,500 | $56,780 | $64,760 | $76,160 | $56,430 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $18.28 | $20.19 | $23.50 | $29.44 | $37.62 | $26.11 | 2,080 | 0.33 | 0.54 |
| Annual | $38,020 | $41,990 | $48,870 | $61,230 | $78,250 | $54,300 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $14.37 | $17.63 | $21.79 | $28.02 | $31.25 | $22.69 | 2,070 | 0.51 | 0.84 |
| Annual | $29,890 | $36,670 | $45,320 | $58,280 | $65,010 | $47,200 | ||||
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | Hourly | $15.41 | $17.42 | $21.07 | $25.55 | $30.34 | $22.05 | 1,550 | 0.47 | 0.77 |
| Annual | $32,050 | $36,230 | $43,820 | $53,130 | $63,110 | $45,860 | ||||
Top industries employing mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) employ 13.7% of mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders nationally (13,000 jobs) at a median $49,440 a year ($23.77 an hour), followed by Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (12.0%) and Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) (8.2%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) NAICS 3250A2 | 13,000 | 13.7% | $49,440 | $23.77 |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing NAICS 327000 | 11,370 | 12.0% | $57,900 | $27.84 |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) NAICS 3250A1 | 7,780 | 8.2% | $49,720 | $23.90 |
| Animal Food Manufacturing NAICS 311100 | 6,560 | 6.9% | $46,790 | $22.49 |
| Other Food Manufacturing NAICS 311900 | 5,870 | 6.2% | $47,330 | $22.76 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (94,920). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $38,420 for mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders in May 2021 and $48,990 in May 2025, with employment of 108,440 and 94,920.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $38,420 | $18.47 | 108,440 |
| May 2022 | $43,410 | $20.87 | 108,900 |
| May 2023 | $46,100 | $22.16 | 105,740 |
| May 2024 | $47,680 | $22.92 | 100,840 |
| May 2025 | $48,990 | $23.55 | 94,920 |
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
49 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 | Massachusetts profile | $29.23 | $60,790 | $40,640 | $74,920 | 420 | 0.12 | 0.19 |
| 2 | Minnesota profile | $28.49 | $59,270 | $45,610 | $77,290 | 1,760 | 0.60 | 0.98 |
| 3 | Wyoming profile | $28.04 | $58,320 | $44,350 | $78,110 | 210 | 0.74 | 1.21 |
| 4 | New Jersey profile | $27.79 | $57,810 | $37,940 | $75,240 | 2,050 | 0.48 | 0.78 |
| 5 | Maine profile | $26.70 | $55,540 | $39,420 | $80,430 | 220 | 0.34 | 0.56 |
| 6 | Connecticut profile | $25.88 | $53,830 | $42,200 | $84,900 | 260 | 0.16 | 0.26 |
| 7 | Washington profile | $25.86 | $53,800 | $41,630 | $91,770 | 2,270 | 0.64 | 1.05 |
| 8 | Illinois profile | $25.75 | $53,560 | $39,460 | $73,720 | 10,240 | 1.68 | 2.75 |
| 9 | Maryland profile | $25.71 | $53,480 | $40,200 | $70,770 | 770 | 0.28 | 0.45 |
| 10 | New York profile | $25.56 | $53,170 | $36,120 | $72,540 | 4,340 | 0.45 | 0.73 |
| 11 | Wisconsin profile | $25.10 | $52,200 | $39,900 | $74,320 | 3,380 | 1.15 | 1.88 |
| 12 | New Hampshire profile | $24.96 | $51,920 | $34,150 | $70,020 | 310 | 0.46 | 0.75 |
| 13 | Iowa profile | $24.79 | $51,570 | $41,550 | $73,410 | 2,310 | 1.48 | 2.43 |
| 14 | Delaware profile | $24.74 | $51,460 | $39,350 | $66,550 | 130 | 0.26 | 0.43 |
| 15 | West Virginia profile | $24.53 | $51,020 | $38,460 | $66,420 | 350 | 0.50 | 0.82 |
| 16 | Kansas profile | $24.40 | $50,750 | $36,700 | $70,660 | 1,380 | 0.96 | 1.58 |
| 17 | California profile | $24.34 | $50,640 | $38,220 | $79,340 | 5,730 | 0.32 | 0.52 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania profile | $24.30 | $50,550 | $38,270 | $71,570 | 4,380 | 0.72 | 1.18 |
| 19 | Oregon profile | $24.24 | $50,420 | $39,060 | $75,160 | 1,090 | 0.55 | 0.91 |
| 20 | Missouri profile | $24.20 | $50,340 | $39,120 | $65,260 | 2,800 | 0.96 | 1.56 |
| 21 | Virginia profile | $24.02 | $49,970 | $38,800 | $65,790 | 1,530 | 0.37 | 0.61 |
| 22 | Alaska profile | $23.92 | $49,740 | $35,290 | $75,780 | 60 | 0.19 | 0.32 |
| 23 | Nebraska profile | $23.58 | $49,050 | $38,620 | $61,100 | 940 | 0.92 | 1.51 |
| 24 | South Dakota profile | $23.56 | $49,000 | $30,070 | $58,250 | 510 | 1.12 | 1.83 |
| 25 | Colorado profile | $23.33 | $48,520 | $40,800 | $62,260 | 640 | 0.22 | 0.36 |
| 26 | Kentucky profile | $23.31 | $48,490 | $37,750 | $59,850 | 1,660 | 0.83 | 1.36 |
| 27 | Nevada profile | $23.30 | $48,460 | $36,670 | $64,640 | 650 | 0.42 | 0.69 |
| 28 | Arizona profile | $23.21 | $48,280 | $38,320 | $73,010 | 1,400 | 0.43 | 0.71 |
| 29 | North Dakota profile | $23.08 | $48,000 | $39,240 | $63,550 | 260 | 0.60 | 0.98 |
| 30 | Tennessee profile | $23.00 | $47,840 | $36,600 | $60,850 | 1,610 | 0.49 | 0.80 |
| 31 | South Carolina profile | $22.95 | $47,740 | $35,680 | $64,700 | 2,560 | 1.11 | 1.82 |
| 32 | Ohio profile | $22.94 | $47,720 | $37,150 | $70,830 | 5,230 | 0.94 | 1.54 |
| 33 | Indiana profile | $22.91 | $47,650 | $37,390 | $66,600 | 4,840 | 1.51 | 2.48 |
| 34 | Rhode Island profile | $22.89 | $47,610 | $32,820 | $66,140 | 190 | 0.39 | 0.63 |
| 35 | Louisiana profile | $22.75 | $47,330 | $32,430 | $112,420 | 570 | 0.30 | 0.48 |
| 36 | Utah profile | $22.68 | $47,180 | $36,050 | $70,040 | 1,290 | 0.74 | 1.22 |
| 37 | North Carolina profile | $22.61 | $47,020 | $36,380 | $62,780 | 3,400 | 0.69 | 1.13 |
| 38 | Georgia profile | $22.60 | $47,000 | $34,790 | $59,830 | 3,420 | 0.70 | 1.15 |
| 39 | Oklahoma profile | $22.60 | $47,000 | $32,710 | $67,670 | 960 | 0.56 | 0.92 |
| 40 | Mississippi profile | $22.31 | $46,410 | $35,420 | $68,760 | 1,070 | 0.92 | 1.51 |
| 41 | Alabama profile | $22.14 | $46,050 | $34,960 | $64,430 | 2,220 | 1.05 | 1.72 |
| 42 | Florida profile | $22.12 | $46,000 | $34,550 | $59,780 | 3,550 | 0.36 | 0.59 |
| 43 | Vermont profile | $21.84 | $45,420 | $40,680 | $62,240 | 280 | 0.93 | 1.52 |
| 44 | Texas profile | $21.79 | $45,320 | $31,110 | $64,430 | 6,350 | 0.45 | 0.74 |
| 45 | Idaho profile | $21.49 | $44,690 | $37,990 | $54,800 | 510 | 0.60 | 0.97 |
| 46 | Arkansas profile | $21.47 | $44,650 | $35,670 | $64,200 | 1,100 | 0.85 | 1.39 |
| 47 | Michigan profile | $21.30 | $44,310 | $35,370 | $64,990 | 3,040 | 0.69 | 1.13 |
| 48 | Montana profile | $18.47 | $38,410 | $34,570 | $53,330 | 280 | 0.55 | 0.89 |
| 49 | New Mexico profile | $17.78 | $36,980 | $28,230 | $63,140 | 340 | 0.39 | 0.63 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (51-9020), 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 51-9023 Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
- 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 51-9023, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 51-9023.00, 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.