Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-9196 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$50,274
$24.17/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 Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is $50,274 per year ($24.17/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $44,928 and $60,174 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $70,325 per year. There are approximately 96,130 paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Set up, operate, or tend paper goods machines that perform a variety of functions, such as converting, sawing, corrugating, banding, wrapping, boxing, stitching, forming, or sealing paper or paperboard sheets into products.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-6.3%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
8K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
98K
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
Converted Paper Product Manufacturing
NAICS 322200
66K
$49,230
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills
NAICS 322100
21K
$62,260
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4241, 4247, and 4249 only)
NAICS 4240A3
3K
$41,430
Printing and Related Support Activities
NAICS 323100
2K
$45,640
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
2K
$35,380
Wage range across top 5 industries: $35,380 to $62,260 (76% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$17.93
$37,294
P25
$21.60
$44,928
P50MEDIAN
$24.17
$50,274
P75
$28.93
$60,174
P90
$33.81
$70,325
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 paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders salary?
The national median salary for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is $50,274 per year ($24.17/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $44,928 and $60,174 annually.
How much do top-earning paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders make?
The 90th percentile salary for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is $70,325 per year ($33.81/hr). The 75th percentile is $60,174 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Entry-level Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (10th percentile) earn approximately $37,294 per year ($17.93/hr). The 25th percentile is $44,928 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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