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The national median salary for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood is $42,765 per year ($20.56/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $36,504 and $48,610 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $58,178 per year. There are approximately 40,850 sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Set up, operate, or tend wood sawing machines. May operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment. Includes lead sawyers. Workers who primarily program or operate CNC equipment are classified in “Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators and Programmers” (51-9160).
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-0.6%
Little or no change
Annual openings
5K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
45K
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
Sawmills and Wood Preservation
NAICS 321100
15K
$45,000
Other Wood Product Manufacturing
NAICS 321900
10K
$38,990
Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only)
NAICS 3370A1
3K
$41,720
Wage range across top 5 industries: $38,990 to $45,000 (15% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$14.85
$30,888
P25
$17.55
$36,504
P50MEDIAN
$20.56
$42,765
P75
$23.37
$48,610
P90
$27.97
$58,178
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 sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood salary?
The national median salary for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood is $42,765 per year ($20.56/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $36,504 and $48,610 annually.
How much do top-earning sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood make?
The 90th percentile salary for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood is $58,178 per year ($27.97/hr). The 75th percentile is $48,610 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood?
Entry-level Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood (10th percentile) earn approximately $30,888 per year ($14.85/hr). The 25th percentile is $36,504 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.