The median pay for Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders is $46,460 a year ($22.34/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 1.3% through 2035, with about 1,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 51-9191
- Production
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender in four numbers
- Median pay
- $46,460a year, or $22.34/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $31KTop 10% $61K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +1.3%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+1.3%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +1.3% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 1,30012,100 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202512.1K
- Projected 203512.2K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 12.1K Projected 2035 12.2K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school10.2%
- High school72.6%
- Certificate16.7%
- Some college0.4%
Highest education held by adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders Segment Value Less than high school 10.2% High school 72.6% Certificate 16.7% Some college 0.4%
Also advertised as: Coater Operator, Glue Line Operator, Glue Reel Operator, Gluer Machine Operator, Gluing Pressman, Machine Operator.
Pay
How much do Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders make?
Every adhesive bonding machine operator and tender in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$46,460
Middle half earn $37,220 to $53,610
- 10th
- $31,460
- 25th
- $37,220
- 75th
- $53,610
- 90th
- $60,810
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $31,460 |
| 25th | $37,220 |
| Median | $46,460 |
| 75th | $53,610 |
| 90th | $60,810 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $46,460
- Median hourly wage
- $22.34/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $46,850
- People employed
- 11,500
Versus all US occupations
At $46,460, Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders earn 9% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $4,520 a year.
Versus production occupations
Inside the Production group, where the middle occupation pays $48,030, this is 3% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $60,810 or more while the bottom 10% earn $31,460, a gap of 1.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 15% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Utah posts the highest raw median ($65,500), but once local prices are taken into account Oklahoma leads at $68,281 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Utah | $65,500 | $66,253 | 100 |
| 2Oklahoma | $59,980 | $68,281 | 390 |
| 3New Jersey | $59,170 | $54,382 | N/A |
| 4Idaho | $57,670 | $60,391 | 140 |
| 5Washington | $56,580 | $52,872 | 320 |
| 6Minnesota | $56,540 | $57,331 | 120 |
| 7Pennsylvania | $53,320 | $54,647 | 500 |
| 8Kentucky | $52,140 | $57,831 | 110 |
| 9Wisconsin | $50,290 | $53,446 | 350 |
| 10Oregon | $50,050 | $48,423 | 900 |
Job outlook
Is Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +1.3% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders | +1.3% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders to change 1.3% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 200 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 1,300 openings are projected each year, 10.7% of the 12,100 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)72.6%
- Post-Secondary Certificate16.7%
- Less than a High School Diploma10.2%
- Some College Courses0.4%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 72.6% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 16.7% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 10.2% |
| Some College Courses | 0.4% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does an Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender do?
Operate or tend bonding machines that use adhesives to join items for further processing or to form a completed product. Processes include joining veneer sheets into plywood; gluing paper; or joining rubber and rubberized fabric parts, plastic, simulated leather, or other materials.
Day-to-day tasks
- Start machines, and turn valves or move controls to feed, admit, apply, or transfer materials and adhesives, and to adjust temperature, pressure, and time settings.
- Monitor machine operations to detect malfunctions and report or resolve problems.
- Observe gauges, meters, and control panels to obtain information about equipment temperatures and pressures, or the speed of feeders or conveyors.
- Transport materials, supplies, and finished products between storage and work areas, using forklifts.
- Read work orders and communicate with coworkers to determine machine and equipment settings and adjustments and supply and product specifications.
- Remove jammed materials from machines and readjust components as necessary to resume normal operations.
- Maintain production records such as quantities, dimensions, and thicknesses of materials processed.
- Examine and measure completed materials or products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring devices such as tape measures, gauges, or calipers.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeOn their feet more than half the working day.
Bending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Critical Thinking2.9
- Writing2.8
- Active Learning2.6
- Mathematics2.5
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.1 |
| Speaking | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 2.9 |
| Writing | 2.8 |
| Active Learning | 2.6 |
| Mathematics | 2.5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Operation and Control3.9
- Operations Monitoring3.8
- Quality Control Analysis3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Troubleshooting3.0
- Repairing3.0
- Time Management3.0
- Social Perceptiveness2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Operation and Control | 3.9 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.8 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.0 |
| Repairing | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 1 |
| Enterprising | 1 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic6.5
- Conventional4.4
- Investigative2.1
- Enterprising1.1
- Artistic1.1
- Social1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender
O*NET related occupations
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$50,270median a year
Most earn $37K to $70K
−3.6%High school - Production
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender
$46,570median a year
Most earn $36K to $61K
−0.9%High school - Transportation and Material Moving
- Production
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender
$45,760median a year
Most earn $35K to $63K
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$50,140median a year
Most earn $38K to $70K
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$43,220median a year
Most earn $33K to $60K
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More production careers
Median annual pay, with adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders highlighted
- Power Plant Operator$102,040
- Tool and Die Maker$64,050
- Machinist$58,750
- Welder$53,750
- Structural Metal Fabricator and Fitter$51,330
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator$50,690
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender$46,460
- Butcher and Meat Cutter$40,140
- Baker$37,160
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Power Plant Operator | $102,040 |
| Tool and Die Maker | $64,050 |
| Machinist | $58,750 |
| Welder | $53,750 |
| Structural Metal Fabricator and Fitter | $51,330 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator | $50,690 |
| Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender | $46,460 |
| Butcher and Meat Cutter | $40,140 |
| Baker | $37,160 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender appears on
Questions
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender: frequently asked questions
How much do Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders make?
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders earn a median of $46,460 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 9% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $22.34/hr. The middle half earn between $37,220 and $53,610. The top 10% earn $60,810 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 72.6% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 1.3% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender do?
Operate or tend bonding machines that use adhesives to join items for further processing or to form a completed product. A core O*NET task: start machines, and turn valves or move controls to feed, admit, apply, or transfer materials and adhesives, and to adjust temperature, pressure, and time settings. Employers most often ask for Enterprise resource planning ERP software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders the most?
The highest state medians for Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders are Utah ($65,500), Oklahoma ($59,980), New Jersey ($59,170) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Oklahoma moves to the top at $68,281.
What personality type suits an Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender?
O*NET scores Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.