Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-9124 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$48,256
$23.20/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 Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is $48,256 per year ($23.20/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $40,602 and $59,675 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $74,734 per year. There are approximately 158,740 coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Set up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials. Includes painters of transportation vehicles such as painters in auto body repair facilities.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.7%
Little or no change
Annual openings
16K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
166K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
1% from new growth99% 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
Automotive Repair and Maintenance
NAICS 811100
27K
$56,570
Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities
NAICS 332800
17K
$45,100
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)
NAICS 3320A2
11K
$46,640
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)
NAICS 3330A1
11K
$47,730
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing
NAICS 336400
7K
$67,810
Wage range across top 5 industries: $45,100 to $67,810 (50% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$17.43
$36,254
P25
$19.52
$40,602
P50MEDIAN
$23.20
$48,256
P75
$28.69
$59,675
P90
$35.93
$74,734
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 coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders salary?
The national median salary for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is $48,256 per year ($23.20/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $40,602 and $59,675 annually.
How much do top-earning coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders make?
The 90th percentile salary for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is $74,734 per year ($35.93/hr). The 75th percentile is $59,675 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Entry-level Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (10th percentile) earn approximately $36,254 per year ($17.43/hr). The 25th percentile is $40,602 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.
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