Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (SOC 51-4081) earn a median $47,180 a year ($22.68 an hour) in the United States, with 124,590 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is West Virginia.
What multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic do
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders handle more than one kind of cutting or forming machine, or a robot, within a single job. In one job, a worker may use lathes, drills, shears, grinders, presses, and auxiliary equipment to make metal or plastic workpieces. They read blueprints and job orders for the specifications and tooling instructions, then select and install drills, cutters, dies, and holding devices, aligning them with templates and measuring tools. Stock is positioned against stops, in chucks, or in automatic feeders. During operation they watch the machines for defects or malfunctions and adjust them. Finished workpieces are inspected and measured to confirm that the machines are performing accurately. The breadth distinguishes this role from single-machine operator codes for drilling, milling, or turning. Machine stops and guides are set to specified lengths, and worn accessories such as cutting tools or brushes are changed with hand tools.
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 Wheel-Line Operator, Ballistics Laboratory Gunsmith, Cell Technician, Centrifugal Control Switch Machine Operator, Clock Machine Setter.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $17.20 | $18.95 | $22.68 | $27.79 | $35.79 | $24.05 | 124,590 |
| Annual | $35,780 | $39,420 | $47,180 | $57,800 | $74,450 | $50,030 | ||
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 multiple 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 | ||||||
| West Virginia | Hourly | $19.19 | $24.53 | $36.58 | $36.58 | $36.58 | $31.35 | 1,920 | 2.74 | 3.42 |
| Annual | $39,920 | $51,010 | $76,080 | $76,080 | $76,080 | $65,210 | ||||
| Kentucky | Hourly | $18.65 | $22.71 | $26.42 | $34.26 | $38.62 | $27.80 | 5,510 | 2.76 | 3.44 |
| Annual | $38,790 | $47,250 | $54,960 | $71,260 | $80,330 | $57,820 | ||||
| Missouri | Hourly | $18.28 | $21.55 | $25.56 | $38.50 | $38.50 | $27.68 | 7,220 | 2.46 | 3.07 |
| Annual | $38,020 | $44,820 | $53,160 | $80,080 | $80,080 | $57,580 | ||||
| Maryland | Hourly | $20.07 | $21.41 | $24.90 | $29.49 | $31.28 | $25.48 | 400 | 0.15 | 0.18 |
| Annual | $41,740 | $44,520 | $51,780 | $61,350 | $65,050 | $53,010 | ||||
| Nebraska | Hourly | $18.33 | $20.17 | $24.50 | $26.01 | $28.98 | $23.86 | 1,250 | 1.22 | 1.52 |
| Annual | $38,120 | $41,950 | $50,960 | $54,100 | $60,280 | $49,620 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Ohio | Hourly | $16.73 | $18.56 | $22.32 | $27.04 | $36.14 | $23.56 | 11,170 | 2.01 | 2.51 |
| Annual | $34,790 | $38,600 | $46,420 | $56,230 | $75,170 | $49,000 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $16.07 | $18.97 | $23.58 | $38.52 | $38.52 | $26.87 | 10,540 | 0.75 | 0.94 |
| Annual | $33,430 | $39,460 | $49,050 | $80,110 | $80,110 | $55,890 | ||||
| Michigan | Hourly | $17.33 | $18.23 | $22.08 | $29.48 | $37.64 | $24.47 | 9,350 | 2.12 | 2.65 |
| Annual | $36,040 | $37,910 | $45,920 | $61,320 | $78,290 | $50,910 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $16.77 | $20.55 | $23.11 | $27.49 | $29.20 | $23.45 | 7,960 | 1.31 | 1.64 |
| Annual | $34,880 | $42,740 | $48,070 | $57,190 | $60,740 | $48,770 | ||||
| Indiana | Hourly | $17.56 | $19.21 | $21.68 | $23.62 | $28.89 | $22.30 | 7,480 | 2.34 | 2.91 |
| Annual | $36,530 | $39,960 | $45,100 | $49,130 | $60,090 | $46,390 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $21.25 | $24.53 | $38.52 | $38.52 | $38.52 | $32.45 | 5,440 | 1.34 | 1.68 |
| Annual | $44,190 | $51,020 | $80,110 | $80,110 | $80,110 | $67,500 | ||||
| Charleston, WV | Hourly | $17.31 | $17.75 | $34.36 | $34.36 | $34.36 | $27.87 | 90 | 0.92 | 1.15 |
| Annual | $36,010 | $36,920 | $71,470 | $71,470 | $71,470 | $57,970 | ||||
| Saginaw, MI | Hourly | $17.02 | $20.20 | $31.54 | $31.54 | $31.54 | $26.65 | 130 | 1.65 | 2.06 |
| Annual | $35,400 | $42,010 | $65,610 | $65,610 | $65,610 | $55,420 | ||||
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | Hourly | $19.62 | $22.33 | $30.32 | $32.44 | $32.44 | $27.67 | 110 | 1.22 | 1.52 |
| Annual | $40,800 | $46,450 | $63,060 | $67,470 | $67,470 | $57,550 | ||||
| Athens-Clarke County, GA | Hourly | $19.71 | $22.63 | $30.10 | $30.10 | $31.57 | $26.42 | 170 | 1.75 | 2.18 |
| Annual | $40,990 | $47,070 | $62,600 | $62,600 | $65,660 | $54,950 | ||||
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 | $17.31 | $18.31 | $21.65 | $22.78 | $28.33 | $21.74 | 5,460 | 1.21 | 1.51 |
| Annual | $36,000 | $38,070 | $45,030 | $47,380 | $58,930 | $45,220 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $21.25 | $24.53 | $38.52 | $38.52 | $38.52 | $32.45 | 5,440 | 1.34 | 1.68 |
| Annual | $44,190 | $51,020 | $80,110 | $80,110 | $80,110 | $67,500 | ||||
| St. Louis, MO-IL | Hourly | $21.06 | $25.24 | $29.85 | $38.50 | $38.50 | $31.20 | 4,480 | 3.34 | 4.16 |
| Annual | $43,790 | $52,510 | $62,090 | $80,080 | $80,080 | $64,890 | ||||
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | Hourly | $18.15 | $19.39 | $24.62 | $37.64 | $37.67 | $27.53 | 4,310 | 2.26 | 2.82 |
| Annual | $37,760 | $40,330 | $51,210 | $78,290 | $78,350 | $57,270 | ||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $16.90 | $17.97 | $21.80 | $24.68 | $29.88 | $22.59 | 2,720 | 0.29 | 0.36 |
| Annual | $35,150 | $37,370 | $45,350 | $51,330 | $62,140 | $46,980 | ||||
Top industries employing multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing employ 11.1% of multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic nationally (13,810 jobs) at a median $47,940 a year ($23.05 an hour), followed by Employment Services (11.0%) and Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) (9.4%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing NAICS 336300 | 13,810 | 11.1% | $47,940 | $23.05 |
| Employment Services NAICS 561300 | 13,680 | 11.0% | $37,210 | $17.89 |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) NAICS 3320A1 | 11,650 | 9.4% | $46,530 | $22.37 |
| Plastics Product Manufacturing NAICS 326100 | 11,480 | 9.2% | $43,740 | $21.03 |
| Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) NAICS 3330A1 | 9,010 | 7.2% | $48,150 | $23.15 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (124,590). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $37,630 for multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in May 2021 and $47,180 in May 2025, with employment of 134,880 and 124,590.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $37,630 | $18.09 | 134,880 |
| May 2022 | $39,210 | $18.85 | 137,060 |
| May 2023 | $41,600 | $20.00 | 127,790 |
| May 2024 | $46,060 | $22.14 | 129,850 |
| May 2025 | $47,180 | $22.68 | 124,590 |
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
45 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 | West Virginia profile | $36.58 | $76,080 | $39,920 | $76,080 | 1,920 | 2.74 | 3.42 |
| 2 | Kentucky profile | $26.42 | $54,960 | $38,790 | $80,330 | 5,510 | 2.76 | 3.44 |
| 3 | Missouri profile | $25.56 | $53,160 | $38,020 | $80,080 | 7,220 | 2.46 | 3.07 |
| 4 | Maryland profile | $24.90 | $51,780 | $41,740 | $65,050 | 400 | 0.15 | 0.18 |
| 5 | Nebraska profile | $24.50 | $50,960 | $38,120 | $60,280 | 1,250 | 1.22 | 1.52 |
| 6 | Virginia profile | $24.33 | $50,600 | $36,740 | $64,050 | 1,030 | 0.25 | 0.31 |
| 7 | Washington profile | $24.30 | $50,540 | $37,770 | $77,110 | 830 | 0.24 | 0.29 |
| 8 | Vermont profile | $24.25 | $50,450 | $40,330 | $83,040 | 110 | 0.37 | 0.46 |
| 9 | Idaho profile | $24.24 | $50,410 | $37,240 | $64,510 | 480 | 0.56 | 0.70 |
| 10 | New York profile | $23.99 | $49,890 | $37,170 | $66,900 | 3,660 | 0.38 | 0.47 |
| 11 | North Dakota profile | $23.65 | $49,190 | $38,170 | $71,140 | 490 | 1.15 | 1.43 |
| 12 | Texas profile | $23.58 | $49,050 | $33,430 | $80,110 | 10,540 | 0.75 | 0.94 |
| 13 | Minnesota profile | $23.55 | $48,980 | $40,050 | $61,040 | 2,540 | 0.86 | 1.07 |
| 14 | Iowa profile | $23.51 | $48,910 | $37,800 | $59,820 | 4,460 | 2.86 | 3.57 |
| 15 | Kansas profile | $23.29 | $48,450 | $32,740 | $55,390 | 290 | 0.20 | 0.25 |
| 16 | Massachusetts profile | $23.19 | $48,230 | $37,870 | $63,710 | 1,390 | 0.38 | 0.48 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania profile | $23.11 | $48,070 | $34,880 | $60,740 | 7,960 | 1.31 | 1.64 |
| 18 | Wisconsin profile | $22.93 | $47,700 | $38,370 | $71,900 | 3,570 | 1.22 | 1.52 |
| 19 | Oregon profile | $22.82 | $47,470 | $42,280 | $63,670 | 1,120 | 0.57 | 0.71 |
| 20 | North Carolina profile | $22.75 | $47,320 | $37,360 | $67,660 | 3,200 | 0.65 | 0.81 |
| 21 | California profile | $22.50 | $46,810 | $38,280 | $65,440 | 3,190 | 0.18 | 0.22 |
| 22 | Maine profile | $22.46 | $46,710 | $38,110 | $58,630 | 300 | 0.47 | 0.59 |
| 23 | Oklahoma profile | $22.34 | $46,470 | $33,330 | $59,530 | 2,180 | 1.28 | 1.60 |
| 24 | Ohio profile | $22.32 | $46,420 | $34,790 | $75,170 | 11,170 | 2.01 | 2.51 |
| 25 | Louisiana profile | $22.22 | $46,210 | $34,670 | $61,370 | 900 | 0.47 | 0.58 |
| 26 | Colorado profile | $22.19 | $46,160 | $42,520 | $62,190 | 220 | 0.08 | 0.10 |
| 27 | Michigan profile | $22.08 | $45,920 | $36,040 | $78,290 | 9,350 | 2.12 | 2.65 |
| 28 | South Carolina profile | $21.99 | $45,740 | $35,320 | $66,770 | 4,520 | 1.96 | 2.45 |
| 29 | New Hampshire profile | $21.98 | $45,710 | $39,550 | $64,440 | 600 | 0.88 | 1.10 |
| 30 | Indiana profile | $21.68 | $45,100 | $36,530 | $60,090 | 7,480 | 2.34 | 2.91 |
| 31 | South Dakota profile | $21.49 | $44,700 | $35,500 | $59,570 | 120 | 0.26 | 0.32 |
| 32 | Illinois profile | $21.32 | $44,350 | $34,950 | $58,930 | 6,090 | 1.00 | 1.25 |
| 33 | Arkansas profile | $21.19 | $44,080 | $31,050 | $54,960 | 1,570 | 1.21 | 1.51 |
| 34 | Alabama profile | $21.06 | $43,800 | $31,020 | $70,880 | 1,680 | 0.80 | 0.99 |
| 35 | Tennessee profile | $20.97 | $43,630 | $34,020 | $58,390 | 930 | 0.28 | 0.35 |
| 36 | Utah profile | $20.94 | $43,550 | $35,240 | $55,840 | 1,340 | 0.77 | 0.97 |
| 37 | Arizona profile | $20.71 | $43,090 | $33,990 | $60,000 | 1,760 | 0.54 | 0.68 |
| 38 | Connecticut profile | $20.47 | $42,580 | $35,860 | $61,270 | 2,150 | 1.27 | 1.58 |
| 39 | New Jersey profile | $19.90 | $41,390 | $35,090 | $60,660 | 3,090 | 0.72 | 0.90 |
| 40 | Florida profile | $19.82 | $41,220 | $33,980 | $57,970 | 2,530 | 0.26 | 0.32 |
| 41 | Nevada profile | $19.38 | $40,310 | $34,850 | $48,660 | ** | ** | ** |
| 42 | Wyoming profile | $19.23 | $40,000 | $37,920 | $53,400 | 110 | 0.40 | 0.50 |
| 43 | Georgia profile | $18.66 | $38,810 | $33,890 | $58,650 | 2,980 | 0.61 | 0.76 |
| 44 | Rhode Island profile | $18.62 | $38,720 | $31,680 | $57,780 | 680 | 1.35 | 1.69 |
| 45 | Mississippi profile | $17.47 | $36,330 | $28,190 | $45,690 | 1,070 | 0.92 | 1.14 |
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 51-4081 Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- 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 51-4081, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 51-4081.00, 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.