Occupation overview

Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic is $49,080, or $23.60 per hour. About 4,680 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $90,390 in Virginia to $39,110 in Indiana.

Median annual
$49,080
Median hourly
$23.60
Entry level (P10)
$36,300
Top 10% (P90)
$68,410
Employment
4,680
States covered
31

Wage distribution nationwide

Earnings spread across all U.S. workers in this occupation.

10th percentile90th percentile
$36,300
$41,710
$49,080
$57,940
$36,300$49,080$68,410
Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $49,080.

Salary by state

All 31 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#StateMedian annual Median hourlyEmployment Location quotient
1Virginia$90,390$43.461000.80
2Massachusetts$77,780$37.39600.58
3Idaho$69,590$33.46702.78
4Florida$66,340$31.90800.27
5Michigan$60,410$29.041901.42
6New Hampshire$59,800$28.75402.07
7Illinois$56,720$27.273902.14
8New York$55,310$26.59700.23
9Oklahoma$55,230$26.552504.94
10Alabama$53,110$25.541402.24
11South Carolina$52,040$25.02701.02
12Kentucky$51,740$24.87——
13Ohio$51,670$24.842001.20
14Colorado$51,280$24.66400.41
15Mississippi$49,930$24.00501.56
16Wisconsin$49,640$23.87600.67
17California$49,080$23.606901.26
18Arizona$48,140$23.15700.75
19New Jersey$47,870$23.02700.54
20Minnesota$47,010$22.601101.27
21North Carolina$46,970$22.58500.37
22Arkansas$46,730$22.47601.60
23Pennsylvania$46,370$22.291800.97
24Georgia$46,270$22.25800.53
25Tennessee$45,070$21.674004.07
26West Virginia$45,060$21.66——
27Missouri$44,990$21.63800.88
28Texas$44,350$21.322200.52
29Iowa$43,860$21.091102.43
30Connecticut$41,080$19.75500.89
31Indiana$39,110$18.803003.13

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Frequently asked questions

How much do drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?

The median annual wage for drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in the United States is $49,080, or $23.60 per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $36,300, and the top 10% earn $68,410.

How many drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic are employed in the U.S.?

About 4,680 people work as drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic nationwide.

Which state pays drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the most?

Virginia pays the most at a median of $90,390, followed by Massachusetts ($77,780) and Idaho ($69,590).

Which state pays drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the least?

Indiana has the lowest median at $39,110.

Where are drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is Oklahoma at 4.94×.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26. bls.gov/oes