Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay in the U.S.
$52,490avg. a year
$25.24 an hour · 16,710 employed
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in the U.S. earn an average of $52,490 a year and a median of $50,620. Pay is highest in Colorado ($69,780) and lowest in Arkansas ($39,980).
$50,620Median pay
$25.24Average hourly
+22%Avg. pay since 2020
16,710Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1150 jobs
Colorado
$69,780
$33.55 an hour
2690 jobs
Massachusetts
$60,670
$29.17 an hour
3150 jobs
Minnesota
$60,380
$29.03 an hour
42,600 jobs
California
$59,980
$28.84 an hour
580 jobs
Maine
$59,270
$28.50 an hour
660 jobs
Maryland
$59,010
$28.37 an hour
7110 jobs
Arizona
$58,500
$28.12 an hour
860 jobs
Nevada
$57,080
$27.44 an hour
9100 jobs
Alabama
$56,580
$27.20 an hour
10580 jobs
Pennsylvania
$56,350
$27.09 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $50k$50k–$53k$53k–$57k$57k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $70,500 | $33.90 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $61,740 | $29.68 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $61,220 | $29.43 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $60,670 | $29.17 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $60,010 | $28.85 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $59,970 | $28.83 |
| Springfield, MA | $58,250 | $28.00 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $58,080 | $27.92 |
Related jobs
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$56,760
- Machinists$59,320
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,430
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,960
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,030
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,170
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $56,580 | $58,490 | 100 |
| Arizona | $58,500 | $55,840 | 110 |
| Arkansas | $39,980 | $39,060 | 190 |
| California | $59,980 | $60,180 | 2,600 |
| Colorado | $69,780 | $71,670 | 150 |
| Connecticut | $54,290 | $49,380 | 690 |
| Florida | $45,590 | $44,710 | 140 |
| Georgia | $51,270 | $50,180 | 100 |
| Illinois | $51,750 | $54,930 | 1,260 |
| Indiana | $52,220 | $49,420 | 710 |
| Iowa | $53,880 | $50,370 | 180 |
| Kansas | $53,940 | $47,310 | 90 |
| Kentucky | $47,600 | $47,060 | 250 |
| Louisiana | $52,710 | $50,560 | 90 |
| Maine | $59,270 | $64,800 | 80 |
| Maryland | $59,010 | $54,860 | 60 |
| Massachusetts | $60,670 | $60,870 | 690 |
| Michigan | $48,900 | $46,680 | 1,540 |
| Minnesota | $60,380 | $61,000 | 150 |
| Missouri | $50,410 | $48,950 | 160 |
| Nebraska | $51,330 | $47,350 | 120 |
| Nevada | $57,080 | $58,240 | 60 |
| New Hampshire | $51,020 | $48,980 | 150 |
| New Jersey | $52,530 | $48,180 | 190 |
| New York | $54,220 | $50,760 | 530 |
| North Carolina | $53,680 | $53,840 | 310 |
| Ohio | $52,310 | $49,880 | 1,180 |
| Oklahoma | $44,410 | $43,680 | 240 |
| Oregon | $49,910 | $41,640 | 40 |
| Pennsylvania | $56,350 | $57,020 | 580 |
| South Carolina | $53,470 | $49,490 | 370 |
| Tennessee | $45,320 | $40,730 | 700 |
| Texas | $44,150 | $48,020 | 2,150 |
| Virginia | $49,740 | $48,920 | 210 |
| West Virginia | $54,000 | $53,660 | 50 |
| Wisconsin | $53,180 | $51,020 | 340 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$58,080
1,280 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$44,480
1,020 jobsDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$50,910
740 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$51,390
590 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$61,740
510 jobsSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$70,500
360 jobsCleveland, OH
$53,220
350 jobsWaterbury-Shelton, CT
$46,680
280 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?
The average is $52,490 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $50,620 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $25.24, and the median is $24.34 an hour.
Which state pays lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the most?
Colorado, with an average of $69,780 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $70,500.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $36,670 a year, and the top 10% earn over $69,700.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-4034. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.