Occupation overview

Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic is $43,960, or $21.14 per hour. About 32,410 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $70,910 in Iowa to $33,730 in Alabama.

Median annual
$43,960
Median hourly
$21.14
Entry level (P10)
$33,790
Top 10% (P90)
$60,370
Employment
32,410
States covered
40

Wage distribution nationwide

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

10th percentile90th percentile
$33,790
$37,260
$43,960
$49,600
$33,790$43,960$60,370
Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $43,960.

Salary by state

All 40 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#StateMedian annual Median hourlyEmployment Location quotient
1Iowa$70,910$34.094401.36
2Washington$58,000$27.894100.55
3Mississippi$52,090$25.04600.25
4Arkansas$51,140$24.592300.84
5Oklahoma$49,330$23.711800.51
6Oregon$48,050$23.103100.77
7Nebraska$48,010$23.084001.86
8Colorado$47,930$23.041900.31
9Arizona$47,110$22.656400.95
10Utah$46,940$22.571800.49
11Ohio$46,790$22.491,8101.57
12California$46,760$22.485,6001.48
13Minnesota$46,730$22.475600.91
14Florida$46,460$22.345300.25
15New Hampshire$46,300$22.26600.43
16Massachusetts$46,150$22.198601.13
17Maine$45,720$21.981701.26
18Pennsylvania$45,590$21.921,7401.38
19New York$45,510$21.888300.41
20South Carolina$44,560$21.434700.99
21Idaho$44,470$21.38600.35
22Wisconsin$44,350$21.329401.54
23Missouri$44,080$21.191500.25
24North Carolina$43,540$20.937100.69
25Virginia$43,380$20.862700.32
26Maryland$42,030$20.21600.10
27New Jersey$40,800$19.623800.42
28Tennessee$39,510$18.991,6602.43
29Georgia$39,160$18.836600.64
30Texas$39,060$18.782,0900.71
31Kansas$38,770$18.643601.21
32Indiana$38,680$18.601,2501.88
33Illinois$38,620$18.572,3801.87
34Rhode Island$38,580$18.554504.32
35Michigan$37,600$18.083,3303.63
36Nevada$37,460$18.01600.18
37Connecticut$37,220$17.896201.75
38Kentucky$34,680$16.676301.51
39Louisiana$34,040$16.361000.25
40Alabama$33,730$16.224000.90

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Frequently asked questions

How much do plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?

The median annual wage for plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in the United States is $43,960, or $21.14 per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $33,790, and the top 10% earn $60,370.

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

About 32,410 people work as plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic nationwide.

Which state pays plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the most?

Iowa pays the most at a median of $70,910, followed by Washington ($58,000) and Mississippi ($52,090).

Which state pays plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the least?

Alabama has the lowest median at $33,730.

Where are plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is Rhode Island at 4.32×.

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