SALARY DATA — SOC 51-4031
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
51-0000 Production Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is 1.83× — the national median is $46,330 but top decile earns $65,510. The spread exists; it's concentrated in geography, specialization, and industry sector. Knowing which end of the band you're on is the whole negotiation.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 171,200.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $35,760 | -23% | ~$17 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $38,870 | -16% | ~$19 |
| Median — 50th pct | $46,330 | — | $22.27/hr |
| Mean — average | $48,430 | +5% | $23.28/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $55,410 | +20% | ~$27 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $65,510 | +41% | ~$31 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in 282 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 11,650 | $50,460 | $36,720 | $79,970 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 6,320 | $50,770 | $38,420 | $77,370 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 4,490 | $48,710 | $34,670 | $64,300 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 4,440 | $43,950 | $35,890 | $59,840 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 4,270 | $42,050 | $36,320 | $74,500 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 3,810 | $43,420 | $34,900 | $57,340 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 3,490 | $48,640 | $38,060 | $69,190 |
| Cleveland, OH | 3,220 | $46,300 | $33,530 | $61,210 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 3,100 | $60,230 | $38,980 | $66,280 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 2,840 | $46,310 | $38,060 | $63,010 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 60 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 336300 | 27,220 | $45,350 |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 3320A1 | 26,710 | $46,140 |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 3320A2 | 22,210 | $47,340 |
| Plastics Product Manufacturing | 326100 | 12,850 | $43,650 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) | 4230A1 | 10,120 | $47,470 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: Los Angeles ranks #15 of 50 on the paycheck and #45 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville/Jefferson County | $60,230 | 95.0 | $63,429 | — |
| Denver | $58,240 | 99.4 | $58,611 | — |
| Portland | $57,110 | 100.1 | $57,047 | — |
| Kansas City | $52,840 | 93.4 | $56,570 | +1 |
| St. Louis | $52,630 | 98.6 | $53,398 | +1 |
| Sacramento | $50,920 | 100.3 | $50,784 | +1 |
| Chicago | $50,770 | 100.5 | $50,511 | +1 |
| Richmond | $49,270 | 98.6 | $49,970 | +1 |
| Seattle | $54,920 | 111.1 | $49,418 | -5 |
| Cleveland | $46,300 | 93.9 | $49,296 | +22 |
Top 10 of 50 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Cleveland gains 22 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic to move from 171,000 to 153,100 over 2025–2035 — -10.5% , with about 13,200 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: high school diploma or equivalent.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?
- The median annual salary for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is $46,330, and the mean is $48,430 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?
- Most Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic earn between $35,760 and $65,510 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 1.83× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 1.83 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ranks #15 by nominal pay but #45 of 50 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic employment to shrink 10.5% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 13,200 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 171,200 workers in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Production Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Upholsterers $46,340
- Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers $46,350
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders $46,460
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic $46,170
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, & Tenders, Metal & Plastic $46,550
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders $46,570
- Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters $46,680
- Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other $45,950
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (SOC 51-4031): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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