SOC 51-4033 · Production Occupations
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic wages by metro
National median annual wage
$46,550
- 10th percentile
- $36,110
- 25th percentile
- $39,390
- Median
- $46,550
- 75th percentile
- $54,290
- 90th percentile
- $62,600
- Mean
- $48,170
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.
National employment in May 2025: 67,000.
That median is 8.7% lower than the all-occupations national median of $50,980.
The metro and state figures below are the same May 2025 release. A blank wage means BLS did not publish it. See when a wage is not published.
Highest published medians
| Occupation | Employment | 10th | Median | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton-Massillon, OH | 350 | $36,800 | $67,210 | $67,210 |
| Bend, OR | 40 | $45,460 | $60,180 | $65,830 |
| Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI | 460 | $33,230 | $59,750 | $59,750 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 930 | $43,910 | $58,680 | $75,290 |
| Utica-Rome, NY | 130 | $39,510 | $57,420 | $77,710 |
| St. Cloud, MN | 50 | $43,310 | $57,110 | $62,670 |
| Sandusky, OH | 120 | $37,260 | $56,670 | $60,430 |
| Rochester, MN | 30 | $45,500 | $55,990 | $78,170 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 70 | $32,130 | $55,590 | $70,890 |
| Spartanburg, SC | 190 | $45,830 | $55,080 | $64,730 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 1,050 | $40,380 | $53,930 | $72,690 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | 50 | $44,780 | $53,620 | $74,500 |
| Reading, PA | 350 | $37,990 | $53,090 | $53,090 |
| Tyler, TX | 50 | $32,210 | $52,880 | $52,880 |
| Springfield, MA | 350 | $38,780 | $52,660 | $79,700 |
| Sheboygan, WI | 200 | $46,380 | $52,310 | $60,540 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 1,000 | $44,100 | $51,990 | $86,250 |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 180 | $40,570 | $51,930 | $70,550 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 1,630 | $40,630 | $51,070 | $75,340 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 700 | $39,600 | $51,000 | $60,050 |
Where employment is largest
| Occupation | Employment | 10th | Median | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 3,920 | $35,790 | $45,440 | $63,170 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 3,110 | $37,720 | $46,420 | $70,970 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 1,630 | $40,630 | $51,070 | $75,340 |
| Cleveland, OH | 1,620 | $35,510 | $45,440 | $62,150 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1,290 | $28,480 | $43,280 | $51,680 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 1,210 | $36,510 | $46,360 | $61,420 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 1,180 | $36,110 | $48,690 | $67,350 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 1,080 | $39,530 | $47,750 | $60,910 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 1,050 | $40,380 | $53,930 | $72,690 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 1,000 | $44,100 | $51,990 | $86,250 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 930 | $43,910 | $58,680 | $75,290 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 830 | $35,200 | $43,130 | $60,000 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 830 | $39,580 | $49,230 | $60,580 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 810 | $36,060 | $41,150 | $56,620 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 790 | $40,560 | $47,680 | $64,530 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 740 | $37,100 | $46,230 | $64,030 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 710 | $37,580 | $47,650 | $63,720 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 700 | $39,600 | $51,000 | $60,050 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 700 | $36,410 | $50,130 | $65,200 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 680 | $37,390 | $48,530 | $62,120 |
States and territories
| Occupation | Employment | 10th | Median | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 1,180 | $41,330 | $57,290 | $75,290 |
| Minnesota | 1,400 | $42,030 | $51,780 | $81,810 |
| Massachusetts | 2,420 | $39,610 | $50,910 | $75,340 |
| Vermont | 300 | $48,360 | $50,640 | $59,960 |
| West Virginia | 200 | $32,130 | $49,950 | $69,760 |
| Washington | 1,870 | $38,630 | $49,300 | $70,320 |
| New York | 2,410 | $37,300 | $49,290 | $73,220 |
| Kentucky | 850 | $37,260 | $49,160 | $73,540 |
| Connecticut | 1,530 | $36,470 | $48,590 | $63,510 |
| Nebraska | 300 | $33,280 | $48,500 | $59,510 |
| South Carolina | 1,730 | $38,540 | $48,040 | $60,050 |
| North Carolina | 1,610 | $34,690 | $47,770 | $58,950 |
| North Dakota | Not available | $47,200 | $47,670 | $65,530 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,830 | $36,540 | $47,650 | $60,040 |
| Wisconsin | 3,570 | $37,030 | $47,330 | $60,540 |
| Indiana | 4,170 | $38,790 | $47,310 | $61,360 |
| Maine | 170 | $37,780 | $47,230 | $56,630 |
| Wyoming | 30 | $44,830 | $46,800 | $55,710 |
| New Hampshire | 600 | $38,730 | $46,580 | $60,020 |
| Iowa | 890 | $38,330 | $46,380 | $70,410 |
| Missouri | 1,210 | $37,140 | $46,270 | $64,030 |
| Illinois | 4,100 | $37,530 | $46,180 | $63,400 |
| Nevada | 170 | $37,550 | $46,140 | $73,040 |
| Colorado | 500 | $37,960 | $46,120 | $58,460 |
| Idaho | 170 | $36,940 | $45,980 | $53,270 |
| California | 7,800 | $36,510 | $45,890 | $62,630 |
| Georgia | 940 | $36,950 | $45,850 | $60,530 |
| Michigan | 4,180 | $35,850 | $45,460 | $60,090 |
| Ohio | 5,960 | $35,730 | $45,270 | $63,620 |
| Arizona | 670 | $37,340 | $44,990 | $57,060 |
| Tennessee | 1,340 | $34,880 | $44,710 | $55,240 |
| New Jersey | 860 | $32,490 | $44,450 | $67,180 |
| Delaware | 50 | $35,700 | $44,390 | $54,200 |
| Utah | 400 | $34,950 | $44,320 | $56,250 |
| Rhode Island | 140 | $37,150 | $43,650 | $70,430 |
| Maryland | 160 | $31,560 | $43,530 | $54,100 |
| Virginia | 620 | $29,310 | $43,170 | $60,410 |
| Kansas | 1,010 | $35,520 | $42,710 | $49,980 |
| Mississippi | 430 | $30,440 | $42,660 | $63,620 |
| Texas | 2,960 | $29,380 | $42,250 | $52,260 |
| Montana | 160 | $34,590 | $41,740 | $53,580 |
| Florida | 1,020 | $34,790 | $40,310 | $56,670 |
| Arkansas | 340 | $33,690 | $39,590 | $50,490 |
| South Dakota | 130 | $31,710 | $39,060 | $51,200 |
| Louisiana | 160 | $30,790 | $38,650 | $55,500 |
| Oklahoma | 870 | $29,290 | $38,570 | $54,590 |
| Alabama | 1,500 | $29,340 | $38,170 | $56,180 |
| New Mexico | 30 | $32,220 | $38,020 | $49,400 |
| Puerto Rico | 60 | $23,790 | $31,400 | $47,830 |
Other production occupations
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
- Machinists
- Production Workers, All Other
- Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers
Questions this page answers
What is the national median wage for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, the national median annual wage for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is $46,550. Employment is 67,000.
How does Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay compare with all occupations?
The national median for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is 8.7% lower than the all-occupations median of $50,980.
Which metro has the highest published median for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?
Among metros with a published annual median in the May 2025 tables, Canton-Massillon, OH is highest on this page's list at $67,210.