Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in the US
A grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earns a national median of $46,550 a year (mean $48,170) — BLS OEWS May 2025, ranked #630 of 825.
How much does a grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn in the US?
A grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in the United States earns a median of $46,550 a year (mean $48,170), per BLS OEWS May 2025. That is 9% below the US all-occupations median of $50,980. About 67,000 people work in this occupation (SOC 51-4033), ranked #630 of 825 by national median pay. Updated annually from BLS OEWS.
Median
$46,550
per year
Mean
$48,170
per year
Employment
67,000
US workers
National rank
#630
of 825 by median
What a grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool 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 grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic (SOC 51-4033) earns a median annual wage of $46,550 and a mean (average) of $48,170. The median is the midpoint — half of grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool 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 grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in the US?
- The BLS OEWS May 2025 national annual median wage for grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic is $46,550, and the mean (average) is $48,170. The median is the midpoint — half of grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn more and half earn less.
- How does grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic pay compare to the US average?
- At $46,550, a grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool 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 grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic are employed in the US?
- BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates about 67,000 grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic employed nationally (SOC 51-4033), across all industries.
- Where does this grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool 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 51-4033. As US federal government work it is public domain. GeraJobs publishes the figures verbatim; suppressed cells are shown as "—", never estimated.
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Find grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic jobs with salary ranges
GeraJobs lists live US vacancies with employer-stated salary ranges — see which grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool 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 51-4033 · Public domain (U.S. federal government work)
Published verbatim by GeraJobs. Last updated: 2026-06-27. ← All US salaries