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.
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders earn a median of $48,250 per year ($23.20/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 0.7% through 2034, with about 15,800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 51-9124ProductionLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $48,250
- Projected growth
- +0.7%
- Openings a year
- 15,800
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Automotive Painter (Auto Painter), Automotive Refinish Technician (Auto Refinish Tech), Coater Operator, Hand Sprayer, Industrial Painter, Paint Technician (Paint Tech).
How much do Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders make?
10th percentile$36,260
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$40,590
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$48,250
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$59,680
Upper quartile
90th percentile$74,730
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $48,250 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $23.20/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $52,620 |
| People employed | 158,740 |
Versus all US occupations
At $48,250, Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders earn 5% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $2,730 a year.
Versus production occupations
The median is typical for the Production group, where the middle occupation pays $47,920.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $74,730 or more while the bottom 10% earn $36,260, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 25% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Alaska pays the most at $69,910, and still leads at $68,299 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $69,910 | $68,299 | 140 |
| Washington | $59,980 | $56,049 | 3,980 |
| New Jersey | $58,240 | $53,527 | 2,890 |
| Maine | $56,200 | $57,908 | 680 |
| Maryland | $55,510 | $52,887 | 1,010 |
| Colorado | $53,590 | $52,003 | 1,470 |
| Mississippi | $53,170 | $61,148 | 2,010 |
| California | $52,950 | $47,823 | 11,570 |
| Connecticut | $52,900 | $51,057 | 1,550 |
| Minnesota | $52,210 | $52,940 | 3,430 |
Is Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender a growing career?
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders0.7%
All US occupations3.1%
+0.7% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders to change 0.7% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 1,200 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 15,800 openings are projected each year, 9.5% of the 165,500 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of painting and coating workers is projected to show little or no change from 2024 to 2034.
Despite limited employment growth, about 16,700 openings for painting and coating workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Many consumer, commercial, and industrial products require painting and coating services, such as in automotive paint repair or detailing. However, automation is expected to continue to limit opportunities for these workers in some manufacturing establishments.
How to become a Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender
Painting and coating workers typically need a high school diploma or equivalent to enter the occupation. New workers usually train on the job for several months to attain competency.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders.
- High School Diploma62.7%
- Less than a High School Diploma26.7%
- Post-Secondary Certificate7.1%
- Some College Courses3.6%
What does a Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender do?
Set up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials. Includes painters of transportation vehicles such as painters in auto body repair facilities.
Painting and coating workers apply finishes, often using machines, to products such as cars, jewelry, and ceramics.
Day-to-day tasks
- Clean equipment and work areas.
- Dispose of hazardous waste in an appropriate manner.
- Use brush to hand-paint areas in need of retouching or unreachable with a spray gun.
- Monitor painting operations to identify flaws, such as blisters or streaks, and correct their causes.
- Hold or position spray guns to direct spray onto articles.
- Turn dials, handwheels, valves, or switches to regulate conveyor speeds, machine temperature, air pressure and circulation, and the flow or spray of coatings or paints.
- Spray prepared surfaces with specified amounts of primers and decorative or finish coatings.
- Examine, measure, weigh, or test sample products to ensure conformance to specifications.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders work
| Fabricated metal product manufacturing | 20% |
|---|---|
| Transportation equipment manufacturing | 17% |
| Automotive body, paint, interior, and glass repair | 16% |
| Machinery manufacturing | 8% |
| Furniture and related product manufacturing | 3% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Monitoring3.1/5
- Critical Thinking2.8/5
- Reading Comprehension2.6/5
- Active Listening2.6/5
- Speaking2.6/5
- Learning Strategies2.6/5
- Active Learning2.5/5
- Writing2.3/5
Transferable skills
- Operations Monitoring3.6/5
- Operation and Control3.1/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.1/5
- Equipment Maintenance3.0/5
- Repairing3.0/5
- Coordination2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.9/5
- Equipment Selection2.9/5
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Facilities management software
- Industrial control software
- Inventory management software
- Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
- Time accounting software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary7.0
Investigative1.5
Artistic2.1
Social1.2
Enterprising1.1
Conventionalprimary3.6
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.
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.
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender: frequently asked questions
How much do Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders make?
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders earn a median of $48,250 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 5% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $23.20/hr. The middle half earn between $40,590 and $59,680. The top 10% earn $74,730 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setter, 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 Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, 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, 62.7% hold high school diploma.
Is Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 0.7% over 2024–2034 against 3.1% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 15,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender do?
Painting and coating workers apply finishes, often using machines, to products such as cars, jewelry, and ceramics. A core O*NET task: clean equipment and work areas. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Spreadsheet software.
Which states pay Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders the most?
The highest state medians for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders are Alaska ($69,910), Washington ($59,980), New Jersey ($58,240) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender?
O*NET scores Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, 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 923 occupations in the bank.