SALARY DATA — SOC 51-7041
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood
51-0000 Production Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood is 1.88× — the national median is $42,770 but top decile earns $58,170. 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: 40,850.
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 | $30,890 | -28% | ~$15 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $36,510 | -15% | ~$18 |
| Median — 50th pct | $42,770 | — | $20.56/hr |
| Mean — average | $43,580 | +2% | $20.95/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $48,620 | +14% | ~$23 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $58,170 | +36% | ~$28 |
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 Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood in 137 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 600 | $46,380 | $36,960 | $60,120 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 560 | $49,740 | $39,370 | $63,220 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 550 | $39,610 | $30,680 | $50,790 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 430 | $43,800 | $36,050 | $55,250 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 420 | $37,620 | $31,020 | $50,160 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 420 | $47,460 | $37,420 | $60,410 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 380 | $55,280 | $42,950 | $65,620 |
| Cleveland, OH | 330 | $49,610 | $38,730 | $55,070 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 330 | $41,850 | $36,470 | $49,790 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 320 | $45,360 | $36,460 | $53,330 |
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 18 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sawmills and Wood Preservation | 321100 | 15,430 | $45,000 |
| Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 321900 | 9,820 | $38,990 |
| Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing | 321200 | 4,900 | $43,860 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) | 4230A1 | 3,080 | $42,720 |
| Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 3370A1 | 3,030 | $41,720 |
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 Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood 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 #10 of 44 on the paycheck and #27 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | $49,610 | 93.9 | $52,820 | +4 |
| Minneapolis | $54,090 | 104.4 | $51,813 | — |
| Hartford | $51,540 | 100.8 | $51,108 | — |
| Seattle | $55,280 | 111.1 | $49,742 | -3 |
| Portland | $49,740 | 100.1 | $49,685 | -1 |
| Denver | $48,400 | 99.4 | $48,708 | +1 |
| Nashville | $45,360 | 95.1 | $47,710 | +5 |
| Baltimore | $48,300 | 101.5 | $47,609 | — |
| Sacramento | $47,460 | 100.3 | $47,333 | — |
| Pittsburgh | $43,490 | 97.7 | $44,496 | +9 |
Top 10 of 44 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Pittsburgh gains 9 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 Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood to move from 41,200 to 40,800 over 2025–2035 — -1% , with about 4,500 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 Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood?
- The median annual salary for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood is $42,770, and the mean is $43,580 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood?
- Most Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood earn between $30,890 and $58,170 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 1.88× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 1.88 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ranks #10 by nominal pay but #27 of 44 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood employment to shrink 1% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 4,500 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 40,850 workers in Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood 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 Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand $42,660
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders $43,220
- Food Batchmakers $42,290
- Print Binding and Finishing Workers $42,290
- Etchers and Engravers $43,310
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing $43,380
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders $43,530
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers $41,640
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood (SOC 51-7041): 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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