Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in the US
A cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earns a national median of $46,330 a year (mean $48,430) — BLS OEWS May 2025, ranked #639 of 825.
How much does a cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn in the US?
A cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in the United States earns a median of $46,330 a year (mean $48,430), per BLS OEWS May 2025. That is 9% below the US all-occupations median of $50,980. About 171,200 people work in this occupation (SOC 51-4031), ranked #639 of 825 by national median pay. Updated annually from BLS OEWS.
Median
$46,330
per year
Mean
$48,430
per year
Employment
171,200
US workers
National rank
#639
of 825 by median
What a cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earns in the US
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 national estimates, a cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic (SOC 51-4031) earns a median annual wage of $46,330 and a mean (average) of $48,430. The median is the midpoint — half of cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn more and half earn less — and is 9% below the US all-occupations median of $50,980. The mean is higher than the median when a minority of very high earners pull the average up.
Note: BLS top-codes any annual wage at or above $239,200/year, so occupations at that ceiling share the same figure.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average salary for a cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in the US?
- The BLS OEWS May 2025 national annual median wage for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic is $46,330, and the mean (average) is $48,430. The median is the midpoint — half of cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn more and half earn less.
- How does cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic pay compare to the US average?
- At $46,330, a cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earns 9% below the US all-occupations median of $50,980 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The all-occupations US median is $50,980.
- How many cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic are employed in the US?
- BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates about 171,200 cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic employed nationally (SOC 51-4031), across all industries.
- Where does this cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary data come from?
- From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2025 national release — cross-industry, all-ownership estimates, SOC code 51-4031. As US federal government work it is public domain. GeraJobs publishes the figures verbatim; suppressed cells are shown as "—", never estimated.
Compare nearby occupations
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$46,420
- Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping$46,380
- Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers$46,350
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation$46,340
- Upholsterers$46,340
- Log Graders and Scalers$46,330
- Order Clerks$46,170
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic$46,170
- Craft Artists$46,080
- Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers$45,990
- Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other$45,950
- Social and Human Service Assistants$45,930
Find cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic jobs with salary ranges
GeraJobs lists live US vacancies with employer-stated salary ranges — see which cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic roles pay above the BLS benchmark.
Data source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) · May 2025 national estimates · SOC 51-4031 · Public domain (U.S. federal government work)
Published verbatim by GeraJobs. Last updated: 2026-06-27. ← All US salaries