Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-4193 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$43,971
$21.14/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is $43,971 per year ($21.14/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $37,253 and $49,608 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $60,362 per year. There are approximately 32,410 plating 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 plating machines to coat metal or plastic products with chromium, zinc, copper, cadmium, nickel, or other metal to protect or decorate surfaces. Typically, the product being coated is immersed in molten metal or an electrolytic solution.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-13.6%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
3K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
32K
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
Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities
NAICS 332800
20K
$40,140
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing
NAICS 334400
2K
$45,410
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)
NAICS 3320A1
1K
$40,490
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)
NAICS 3320A2
1K
$47,340
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing
NAICS 336300
920
$38,280
Wage range across top 5 industries: $38,280 to $47,340 (24% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$16.25
$33,800
P25
$17.91
$37,253
P50MEDIAN
$21.14
$43,971
P75
$23.85
$49,608
P90
$29.02
$60,362
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary?
The national median salary for Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is $43,971 per year ($21.14/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $37,253 and $49,608 annually.
How much do top-earning plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?
The 90th percentile salary for Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is $60,362 per year ($29.02/hr). The 75th percentile is $49,608 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic?
Entry-level Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (10th percentile) earn approximately $33,800 per year ($16.25/hr). The 25th percentile is $37,253 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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