Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay in the U.S.
$48,430avg. a year
$23.28 an hour · 171,200 employed
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in the U.S. earn an average of $48,430 a year and a median of $46,330. Pay is highest in Oregon ($55,390) and lowest in New Mexico ($40,630).
$46,330Median pay
$23.28Average hourly
+25%Avg. pay since 2020
171,200Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
11,180 jobs
Oregon
$55,390
$26.63 an hour
21,750 jobs
Washington
$55,150
$26.52 an hour
31,400 jobs
Colorado
$55,080
$26.48 an hour
4180 jobs
Maine
$52,050
$25.03 an hour
522,060 jobs
Michigan
$51,880
$24.94 an hour
68,060 jobs
Illinois
$51,740
$24.87 an hour
77,710 jobs
California
$51,620
$24.82 an hour
8230 jobs
North Dakota
$51,620
$24.82 an hour
980 jobs
Alaska
$51,270
$24.65 an hour
10470 jobs
Rhode Island
$50,870
$24.46 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $46k$46k–$48k$48k–$50k$50k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $68,590 | $32.98 |
| Rome, GA | $61,880 | $29.75 |
| Flint, MI | $61,680 | $29.65 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $61,430 | $29.54 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | $58,680 | $28.21 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $58,100 | $27.93 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $57,430 | $27.61 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | $56,710 | $27.27 |
Related jobs
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$56,760
- Machinists$59,320
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,960
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,030
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,170
- Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,480
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $43,760 | $43,830 | 6,000 |
| Alaska | $51,270 | $49,010 | 80 |
| Arizona | $47,680 | $46,610 | 1,100 |
| Arkansas | $44,480 | $45,580 | 3,020 |
| California | $51,620 | $48,450 | 7,710 |
| Colorado | $55,080 | $50,790 | 1,400 |
| Connecticut | $48,190 | $46,280 | 2,030 |
| Delaware | $44,700 | $41,640 | 240 |
| Florida | $41,940 | $39,440 | 2,740 |
| Georgia | $47,040 | $45,080 | 5,260 |
| Idaho | $42,920 | $39,580 | 720 |
| Illinois | $51,740 | $48,990 | 8,060 |
| Indiana | $49,900 | $46,980 | 9,680 |
| Iowa | $47,960 | $48,240 | 2,030 |
| Kansas | $48,770 | $46,840 | 1,900 |
| Kentucky | $48,770 | $45,760 | 7,290 |
| Louisiana | $44,990 | $40,870 | 760 |
| Maine | $52,050 | $51,820 | 180 |
| Maryland | $47,280 | $47,320 | 270 |
| Massachusetts | $49,360 | $45,760 | 2,590 |
| Michigan | $51,880 | $46,120 | 22,060 |
| Minnesota | $50,850 | $49,770 | 6,130 |
| Mississippi | $44,140 | $40,650 | 1,700 |
| Missouri | $50,680 | $48,310 | 3,240 |
| Montana | $49,330 | $48,490 | 130 |
| Nebraska | $49,090 | $48,690 | 1,320 |
| Nevada | $46,710 | $47,690 | 580 |
| New Hampshire | $48,150 | $48,110 | 600 |
| New Jersey | $47,670 | $45,680 | 1,950 |
| New Mexico | $40,630 | $39,430 | 220 |
| New York | $50,330 | $46,930 | 3,340 |
| North Carolina | $45,980 | $43,400 | 3,940 |
| North Dakota | $51,620 | $48,400 | 230 |
| Ohio | $46,370 | $45,230 | 13,350 |
| Oklahoma | $44,240 | $40,930 | 2,480 |
| Oregon | $55,390 | $53,680 | 1,180 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,670 | $47,860 | 8,890 |
| Rhode Island | $50,870 | $48,170 | 470 |
| South Carolina | $45,540 | $44,420 | 4,100 |
| South Dakota | $47,740 | $46,060 | 490 |
| Tennessee | $43,980 | $44,780 | 5,380 |
| Texas | $43,580 | $42,720 | 13,290 |
| Utah | $48,760 | $46,670 | 1,050 |
| Vermont | $46,870 | $43,560 | 70 |
| Virginia | $48,270 | $47,300 | 1,790 |
| Washington | $55,150 | $51,160 | 1,750 |
| West Virginia | $45,130 | $43,070 | 290 |
| Wisconsin | $50,500 | $49,270 | 7,960 |
| Wyoming | $48,060 | $46,890 | 60 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$56,610
11,650 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$53,350
6,320 jobsMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$50,080
4,490 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$44,470
4,440 jobsGrand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI$46,510
4,270 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$43,930
3,810 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$51,910
3,490 jobsCleveland, OH
$46,630
3,220 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?
The average is $48,430 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $46,330 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $23.28, and the median is $22.27 an hour.
Which state pays cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the most?
Oregon, with an average of $55,390 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $68,590.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $35,760 a year, and the top 10% earn over $65,510.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-4031. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.