Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

51-4031 Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.

National estimates for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Industry profile for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Geographic profile for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

National estimates for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
179,630	1.2 %	$ 19.23	$ 40,000	0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 13.95	$ 14.67	$ 18.09	$ 22.67	$ 27.59
Annual Wage (2)	$ 29,010	$ 30,520	$ 37,630	$ 47,160	$ 57,390

Industry profile for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing	32,800	6.10	$ 20.24	$ 42,100
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)	30,530	6.83	$ 18.23	$ 37,910
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)	19,720	4.25	$ 20.11	$ 41,830
Plastics Product Manufacturing	12,920	2.21	$ 17.51	$ 36,420
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)	10,510	1.50	$ 19.69	$ 40,960

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing	4,470	8.10	$ 17.89	$ 37,210
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)	30,530	6.83	$ 18.23	$ 37,910
Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel	3,560	6.77	$ 19.57	$ 40,700
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing	32,800	6.10	$ 20.24	$ 42,100
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)	19,720	4.25	$ 20.11	$ 41,830

Top paying industries for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing	3,770	1.54	$ 26.10	$ 54,280
Support Activities for Mining	(8)	(8)	$ 25.69	$ 53,430
Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance	140	0.07	$ 23.12	$ 48,080
Building Equipment Contractors	(8)	(8)	$ 22.68	$ 47,180
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	130	0.01	$ 22.36	$ 46,520

Geographic profile for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Map of employment of cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic by state, May 2021

States with the highest employment level in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Michigan	23,610	5.82	4.56	$ 20.82	$ 43,310
Indiana	17,470	5.86	4.59	$ 19.03	$ 39,590
Ohio	17,230	3.31	2.60	$ 19.18	$ 39,890
Wisconsin	10,680	3.88	3.04	$ 19.97	$ 41,540
Texas	10,230	0.84	0.66	$ 17.68	$ 36,770

Map of location quotient of cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic by state, May 2021

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Indiana	17,470	5.86	4.59	$ 19.03	$ 39,590
Michigan	23,610	5.82	4.56	$ 20.82	$ 43,310
Wisconsin	10,680	3.88	3.04	$ 19.97	$ 41,540
Kentucky	7,020	3.82	3.00	$ 18.14	$ 37,740
Ohio	17,230	3.31	2.60	$ 19.18	$ 39,890

Map of annual mean wages of cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic by state, May 2021

Top paying states for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska	100	0.35	0.27	$ 24.84	$ 51,660
Washington	2,070	0.65	0.51	$ 22.78	$ 47,390
Maryland	390	0.15	0.12	$ 21.98	$ 45,720
Oregon	1,040	0.57	0.45	$ 20.92	$ 43,510
Michigan	23,610	5.82	4.56	$ 20.82	$ 43,310

Map of employment of cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic by area, May 2021

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	11,860	6.59	5.17	$ 22.30	$ 46,380
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	7,590	1.79	1.41	$ 20.32	$ 42,270
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI	4,120	8.12	6.37	$ 19.39	$ 40,330
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	3,990	0.70	0.55	$ 19.94	$ 41,480
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	3,270	0.91	0.71	$ 17.86	$ 37,160
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN	3,080	3.06	2.40	$ 18.04	$ 37,530
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	3,040	0.35	0.27	$ 20.07	$ 41,750
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	3,010	1.04	0.82	$ 18.00	$ 37,430
Cleveland-Elyria, OH	3,010	3.12	2.45	$ 20.69	$ 43,020
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI	2,930	3.72	2.92	$ 19.58	$ 40,730

Map of location quotient of cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic by area, May 2021

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Elkhart-Goshen, IN	2,300	17.19	13.48	$ 18.77	$ 39,040
Sheboygan, WI	890	15.32	12.01	$ 19.47	$ 40,500
Spartanburg, SC	1,750	11.16	8.75	(8)	(8)
Columbus, IN	440	9.19	7.21	$ 18.02	$ 37,490
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI	4,120	8.12	6.37	$ 19.39	$ 40,330
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI	840	6.75	5.30	$ 17.58	$ 36,570
Mansfield, OH	320	6.62	5.19	$ 17.37	$ 36,140
Owensboro, KY	330	6.60	5.18	$ 16.59	$ 34,500
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	11,860	6.59	5.17	$ 22.30	$ 46,380
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI	370	6.58	5.16	$ 18.21	$ 37,890