Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay in the U.S.
$45,100avg. a year
$21.69 an hour · 32,410 employed
Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in the U.S. earn an average of $45,100 a year and a median of $43,960. Pay is highest in Iowa ($59,160) and lowest in Alabama ($35,210).
$43,960Median pay
$21.69Average hourly
+22%Avg. pay since 2020
32,410Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1440 jobs
Iowa
$59,160
$28.44 an hour
2410 jobs
Washington
$59,100
$28.41 an hour
3230 jobs
Arkansas
$52,750
$25.36 an hour
4180 jobs
Utah
$52,190
$25.09 an hour
5180 jobs
Oklahoma
$51,950
$24.98 an hour
6310 jobs
Oregon
$51,420
$24.72 an hour
760 jobs
Mississippi
$50,690
$24.37 an hour
8190 jobs
Colorado
$49,750
$23.92 an hour
9660 jobs
Georgia
$49,250
$23.68 an hour
10400 jobs
Nebraska
$48,870
$23.50 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.
Plating 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 $43k$43k–$46k$46k–$49k$49k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $57,770 | $27.78 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $54,730 | $26.31 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $53,300 | $25.63 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $53,050 | $25.51 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $52,770 | $25.37 |
| Reading, PA | $51,710 | $24.86 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $51,540 | $24.78 |
| Cleveland, OH | $50,480 | $24.27 |
Related jobs
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$56,760
- Machinists$59,320
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,430
- 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
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Plating 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 | $35,210 | $33,730 | 400 |
| Arizona | $45,920 | $47,110 | 640 |
| Arkansas | $52,750 | $51,140 | 230 |
| California | $47,610 | $46,760 | 5,600 |
| Colorado | $49,750 | $47,930 | 190 |
| Connecticut | $43,750 | $37,220 | 620 |
| Florida | $45,220 | $46,460 | 530 |
| Georgia | $49,250 | $39,160 | 660 |
| Idaho | $44,380 | $44,470 | 60 |
| Illinois | $41,990 | $38,620 | 2,380 |
| Indiana | $43,370 | $38,680 | 1,250 |
| Iowa | $59,160 | $70,910 | 440 |
| Kansas | $42,480 | $38,770 | 360 |
| Kentucky | $38,630 | $34,680 | 630 |
| Louisiana | $36,400 | $34,040 | 100 |
| Maine | $47,440 | $45,720 | 170 |
| Maryland | $48,050 | $42,030 | 60 |
| Massachusetts | $45,930 | $46,150 | 860 |
| Michigan | $40,490 | $37,600 | 3,330 |
| Minnesota | $48,650 | $46,730 | 560 |
| Mississippi | $50,690 | $52,090 | 60 |
| Missouri | $43,010 | $44,080 | 150 |
| Nebraska | $48,870 | $48,010 | 400 |
| Nevada | $40,440 | $37,460 | 60 |
| New Hampshire | $47,420 | $46,300 | 60 |
| New Jersey | $41,920 | $40,800 | 380 |
| New York | $47,200 | $45,510 | 830 |
| North Carolina | $43,530 | $43,540 | 710 |
| Ohio | $48,460 | $46,790 | 1,810 |
| Oklahoma | $51,950 | $49,330 | 180 |
| Oregon | $51,420 | $48,050 | 310 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,190 | $45,590 | 1,740 |
| Rhode Island | $43,700 | $38,580 | 450 |
| South Carolina | $45,210 | $44,560 | 470 |
| Tennessee | $41,470 | $39,510 | 1,660 |
| Texas | $40,460 | $39,060 | 2,090 |
| Utah | $52,190 | $46,940 | 180 |
| Virginia | $43,810 | $43,380 | 270 |
| Washington | $59,100 | $58,000 | 410 |
| Wisconsin | $46,280 | $44,350 | 940 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$46,620
3,160 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$42,680
1,870 jobsDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$40,120
1,620 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$40,390
880 jobsGrand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI
$39,640
780 jobsSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$53,300
600 jobsCleveland, OH
$50,480
570 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$44,110
560 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?
The average is $45,100 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $43,960 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $21.69, and the median is $21.14 an hour.
Which state pays plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the most?
Iowa, with an average of $59,160 a year. The best-paying metro area is Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA at $57,770.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $33,790 a year, and the top 10% earn over $60,370.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-4193. 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.