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The national median salary for Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders is $35,651 per year ($17.14/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $29,099 and $43,098 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $47,715 per year. There are approximately 3,280 shoe machine operators and tenders employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Operate or tend a variety of machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-3.7%
Slower than average
Annual openings
400
per year, on avg
Workforce today
4K
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
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 1 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Footwear Manufacturing
NAICS 316200
3K
$35,650
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$12.77
$26,562
P25
$13.99
$29,099
P50MEDIAN
$17.14
$35,651
P75
$20.72
$43,098
P90
$22.94
$47,715
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 shoe machine operators and tenders salary?
The national median salary for Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders is $35,651 per year ($17.14/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $29,099 and $43,098 annually.
How much do top-earning shoe machine operators and tenders make?
The 90th percentile salary for Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders is $47,715 per year ($22.94/hr). The 75th percentile is $43,098 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for shoe machine operators and tenders?
Entry-level Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders (10th percentile) earn approximately $26,562 per year ($12.77/hr). The 25th percentile is $29,099 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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.