Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenderss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $47,460 ≈ $23/hr

National median salary $46,570

Total employment 44,980 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -2.3% Decline

Annual openings 5,300 per year (avg)

Employment 2024→2034 49,000 → 47,900 (-1,100)

Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

AK ME WI VT NH WA ID MT ND MN IL MI NY MA OR NV WY SD IA IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA UT CO NE MO KY WV VA MD DE AZ NM KS AR TN NC SC DC OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL

Mean annual wage $37,000–$44,000 $44,000–$46,000 $46,000–$48,000 $48,000–$51,000 $51,000–$57,000 U.S. mean $47,460

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

Minnesota$57,140
Vermont$54,860
Washington$54,190
Oregon$54,140
New Hampshire$53,270

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

New Mexico$36,520
Oklahoma$40,560
West Virginia$41,210
Texas$42,860
Tennessee$42,920

State Rankings

⇄ Compare specific states

#	State	Mean	Median	Hourly	vs. U.S.	Employment
1	Minnesota	$57,140	$58,260	$27	+20.4%	1,130
2	Vermont	$54,860	$52,220	$26	+15.6%	100
3	Washington	$54,190	$50,430	$26	+14.2%	760
4	Oregon	$54,140	$51,180	$26	+14.1%	990
5	New Hampshire	$53,270	$50,290	$26	+12.2%	90
6	Illinois	$52,770	$49,740	$25	+11.2%	1,770
7	Iowa	$52,110	$49,600	$25	+9.8%	920
8	Montana	$51,870	$51,540	$25	+9.3%	100
9	Colorado	$51,580	$51,750	$25	+8.7%	700
10	New York	$51,400	$49,680	$25	+8.3%	1,870
11	Missouri	$51,320	$50,930	$25	+8.1%	1,120
12	North Dakota	$51,070	$47,480	$25	+7.6%	70
13	Arkansas	$50,750	$47,320	$24	+6.9%	800
14	New Jersey	$50,010	$48,600	$24	+5.4%	1,040
15	Kentucky	$49,050	$48,180	$24	+3.4%	900
16	Nebraska	$49,040	$48,300	$24	+3.3%	530
17	Wisconsin	$48,330	$48,040	$23	+1.8%	1,300
18	Ohio	$47,880	$48,400	$23	+0.9%	3,000
19	Pennsylvania	$47,770	$46,850	$23	+0.7%	1,630
20	Idaho	$47,680	$46,840	$23	+0.5%	160
21	California	$47,580	$46,110	$23	+0.3%	3,080
22	Arizona	$47,510	$46,780	$23	+0.1%	760
23	Indiana	$47,490	$46,150	$23	+0.1%	2,110
24	South Carolina	$47,250	$47,410	$23	-0.4%	730
25	Michigan	$46,740	$44,620	$22	-1.5%	730
26	South Dakota	$46,700	$44,980	$22	-1.6%	460
27	Maine	$46,330	$49,200	$22	-2.4%	160
28	Nevada	$46,260	$43,470	$22	-2.5%	340
29	Maryland	$46,200	$44,820	$22	-2.7%	280
30	Utah	$46,160	$45,510	$22	-2.7%	740
31	Virginia	$45,740	$44,790	$22	-3.6%	840
32	Kansas	$45,650	$44,760	$22	-3.8%	760
33	Connecticut	$45,230	$44,530	$22	-4.7%	450
34	Massachusetts	$44,920	$43,790	$22	-5.4%	1,280
35	North Carolina	$44,840	$43,770	$22	-5.5%	3,100
36	Rhode Island	$44,470	$45,950	$21	-6.3%	210
37	Louisiana	$44,370	$41,170	$21	-6.5%	110
38	Alaska	$44,320	$46,240	$21	-6.6%	30
39	Georgia	$43,970	$44,130	$21	-7.4%	1,230
40	Florida	$43,920	$40,540	$21	-7.5%	1,370
41	Alabama	$43,640	$39,740	$21	-8%	590
42	Mississippi	$43,010	$41,590	$21	-9.4%	710
43	Tennessee	$42,920	$44,030	$21	-9.6%	1,260
44	Texas	$42,860	$42,210	$21	-9.7%	3,650
45	West Virginia	$41,210	$37,920	$20	-13.2%	160
46	Oklahoma	$40,560	$37,910	$20	-14.5%	620
47	New Mexico	$36,520	$32,770	$18	-23.1%	200

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 234 metro areas.

#	Metro area	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Wilmington, NC	$63,550	$53,000	100
2	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$62,620	$58,580	530
3	Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area	$60,440	$55,040	—
4	Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area	$60,290	$55,570	70
5	St. Cloud, MN	$58,450	$55,010	140
6	Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area	$57,120	$59,130	50
7	Topeka, KS	$56,610	$55,030	40
8	Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area	$56,580	$52,210	70
9	Yakima, WA	$56,030	$54,630	90
10	Bend, OR	$55,660	$54,300	40

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenderss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#	Industry	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	$65,770	$67,320	—
2	Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	$65,770	$67,320	—
3	Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing	$60,010	$56,100	140
4	Machine Shops	$58,970	$53,360	110
5	Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills	$58,430	$57,220	770
6	Masonry Contractors	$57,980	$54,840	90
7	Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing	$56,860	$51,900	130
8	Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers	$55,070	$53,400	120
9	Building Material and Supplies Dealers	$55,070	$53,400	120
10	Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing	$53,530	$49,380	70
11	Paper Manufacturing	$52,620	$52,840	9,490
12	Sectors 48 and 49 - Transportation and Warehousing	$51,960	$50,880	240

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders make in the U.S.?

The median cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders salary in the United States is $46,570 per year (mean $47,460), and about 80% earn between $35,930 and $61,120.

How much do cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders make per hour?

Roughly $23 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $47,460 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders the most?

Minnesota has the highest average pay for cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders at $57,140 per year (median $58,260).

What is the job outlook for cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders?

Employment is projected to change -2.3% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 5,300 openings per year.