Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-4031 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$46,322
$22.27/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Cutting salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$36K
P25$39K
P50$46K
P75$55K
P90$66K
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Demand: STABLE. Demand is stable -- manufacturing openings are at 3.7% (JOLTS, June 2026). A standard market: pay near the median, no urgency premium needed.
📈
Merit budget: Wages in manufacturing are rising about 3.3% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.9-3.4% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $46,322 to $55,411 (market median to the 75th percentile). Anchor on the median.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Cutting pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 1.6% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.3% wage growth of Manufacturing (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · STABLE
Manufacturing is running a 3.7% job-openings rate with quits at 1.5% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted up from 3.4% to 3.7% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 1.8 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is narrower than typical, so pay is fairly standardized; small differences move a candidate across the market.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback. Quits steady at 1.5%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is $46,322 per year ($22.27/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $38,875 and $55,411 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $65,520 per year. There are approximately 171,200 cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-12.1%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
14K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
175K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing
NAICS 336300
27K
$45,350
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)
NAICS 3320A1
27K
$46,140
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)
Manufacturing openings eased to 481K (-36K) in June, rate 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback (-55K). Quits held at 1.5%. The sector remains stable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary?
The national median salary for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is $46,322 per year ($22.27/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $38,875 and $55,411 annually.
How much do top-earning cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?
The 90th percentile salary for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is $65,520 per year ($31.50/hr). The 75th percentile is $55,411 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic?
Entry-level Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (10th percentile) earn approximately $35,755 per year ($17.19/hr). The 25th percentile is $38,875 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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