• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

51-4031 Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.

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National estimates for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Industry profile for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Geographic profile for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

National estimates for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
182,460	1.4 %	$ 20.31	$ 42,240	0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 14.56	$ 16.93	$ 18.91	$ 22.85	$ 28.41
Annual Wage (2)	$ 30,280	$ 35,200	$ 39,340	$ 47,520	$ 59,090

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Industry profile for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing	30,850	5.68	$ 22.23	$ 46,230
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)	29,670	6.38	$ 19.44	$ 40,440
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)	21,800	4.49	$ 20.91	$ 43,500
Plastics Product Manufacturing	12,720	2.08	$ 18.51	$ 38,500
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)	9,080	1.21	$ 20.75	$ 43,160

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel	4,420	7.98	$ 21.63	$ 44,990
Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing	4,550	7.79	$ 19.34	$ 40,230
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)	29,670	6.38	$ 19.44	$ 40,440
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing	30,850	5.68	$ 22.23	$ 46,230
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)	21,800	4.49	$ 20.91	$ 43,500

Top paying industries for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing	2,100	0.78	$ 27.16	$ 56,500
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	190	0.01	$ 24.80	$ 51,580
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	490	0.12	$ 24.03	$ 49,990
Building Equipment Contractors	150	0.01	$ 23.68	$ 49,260
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	3,050	0.64	$ 22.88	$ 47,580

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Geographic profile for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Michigan	26,050	6.13	4.97	$ 22.81	$ 47,440
Ohio	17,890	3.33	2.70	$ 20.02	$ 41,650
Indiana	12,750	4.13	3.35	$ 19.44	$ 40,440
Illinois	11,960	2.03	1.65	$ 19.31	$ 40,170
Texas	11,870	0.91	0.74	$ 18.69	$ 38,880

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Michigan	26,050	6.13	4.97	$ 22.81	$ 47,440
Indiana	12,750	4.13	3.35	$ 19.44	$ 40,440
Wisconsin	9,940	3.53	2.86	$ 20.73	$ 43,120
Kentucky	6,490	3.42	2.77	$ 19.12	$ 39,760
Ohio	17,890	3.33	2.70	$ 20.02	$ 41,650

Top paying states for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Washington	2,040	0.60	0.49	$ 24.33	$ 50,600
Alaska	70	0.23	0.19	$ 24.13	$ 50,180
Michigan	26,050	6.13	4.97	$ 22.81	$ 47,440
Oregon	1,080	0.57	0.46	$ 22.55	$ 46,900
Maryland	220	0.08	0.07	$ 22.23	$ 46,230

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	13,370	7.16	5.81	$ 24.71	$ 51,390
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	9,450	2.14	1.73	$ 19.70	$ 40,980
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI	4,990	9.07	7.35	$ 21.69	$ 45,120
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	4,000	1.05	0.85	$ 19.21	$ 39,950
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	3,840	1.26	1.02	$ 18.90	$ 39,300
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	3,610	0.59	0.48	$ 21.71	$ 45,150
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	3,440	1.83	1.48	$ 21.36	$ 44,430
Cleveland-Elyria, OH	3,310	3.36	2.72	$ 22.08	$ 45,920
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	2,900	0.32	0.26	$ 20.81	$ 43,280
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI	2,790	3.48	2.82	$ 20.64	$ 42,940

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Sheboygan, WI	720	12.24	9.92	$ 22.07	$ 45,910
Elkhart-Goshen, IN	1,690	11.87	9.62	$ 20.06	$ 41,710
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI	4,990	9.07	7.35	$ 21.69	$ 45,120
Saginaw, MI	680	8.58	6.95	$ 25.31	$ 52,640
Columbus, IN	400	8.05	6.53	$ 18.67	$ 38,830
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI	450	7.66	6.21	$ 18.34	$ 38,160
Grand Island, NE	310	7.43	6.02	$ 21.61	$ 44,960
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	13,370	7.16	5.81	$ 24.71	$ 51,390
Gadsden, AL	220	6.94	5.62	$ 15.56	$ 32,360
Mansfield, OH	330	6.85	5.55	$ 18.84	$ 39,200