Pay by state · 50 areas
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic Salary by State (2026)
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic earn the most in Oregon at $53,680 a year and the least in New Mexico at $39,430 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $46,330. The table below covers 49 states and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $53,680Oregon
- National median
- $46,330BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $39,430New Mexico
- Areas reporting
- 50of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Ranked on the state median among the 49 reporting states. After cost of living, Iowa comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Oregon$53,680
- 2Maine$51,820
- 3Washington$51,160
- 4Colorado$50,790
- 5Minnesota$49,770
Lowest median pay
- 1New Mexico$39,430
- 2Florida$39,440
- 3Idaho$39,580
- 4Mississippi$40,650
- 5Louisiana$40,870
All states
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OROregon | $53,680 | $48,070 | $59,550 | 1,180 | $51,934 |
| 2 | MEMaine | $51,820 | $47,130 | $60,440 | 180 | $53,395 |
| 3 | WAWashington | $51,160 | $46,280 | $60,890 | 1,750 | $47,807 |
| 4 | COColorado | $50,790 | $45,840 | $59,830 | 1,400 | $49,286 |
| 5 | MNMinnesota | $49,770 | $42,850 | $60,130 | 6,130 | $50,466 |
| 6 | WIWisconsin | $49,270 | $43,930 | $58,560 | 7,960 | $52,362 |
| 7 | AKAlaska | $49,010 | $45,160 | $58,320 | 80 | $47,880 |
| 8 | ILIllinois | $48,990 | $41,670 | $59,030 | 8,060 | $49,011 |
| 9 | NENebraska | $48,690 | $39,520 | $58,020 | 1,320 | $54,038 |
| 10 | MTMontana | $48,490 | $45,280 | $51,680 | 130 | $51,234 |
| 11 | CACalifornia | $48,450 | $43,710 | $58,450 | 7,710 | $43,759 |
| 12 | NDNorth Dakota | $48,400 | $47,230 | $56,670 | 230 | $54,407 |
| 13 | MOMissouri | $48,310 | $39,500 | $60,170 | 3,240 | $53,195 |
| 14 | IAIowa | $48,240 | $40,120 | $52,730 | 2,030 | $54,967 |
| 15 | RIRhode Island | $48,170 | $43,550 | $59,780 | 470 | $47,096 |
| 16 | NHNew Hampshire | $48,110 | $41,950 | $52,430 | 600 | $46,186 |
| 17 | PAPennsylvania | $47,860 | $40,710 | $58,780 | 8,890 | $49,051 |
| 18 | NVNevada | $47,690 | $40,540 | $50,420 | 580 | $47,700 |
| 19 | MDMaryland | $47,320 | $39,420 | $50,780 | 270 | $45,084 |
| 20 | VAVirginia | $47,300 | $41,380 | $52,890 | 1,790 | $46,784 |
| 21 | INIndiana | $46,980 | $40,630 | $56,350 | 9,680 | $50,338 |
| 22 | NYNew York | $46,930 | $39,800 | $57,070 | 3,340 | $43,486 |
| 23 | WYWyoming | $46,890 | $45,520 | $51,870 | 60 | $50,587 |
| 24 | KSKansas | $46,840 | $39,520 | $53,670 | 1,900 | $52,005 |
| 25 | UTUtah | $46,670 | $44,030 | $50,960 | 1,050 | $47,206 |
| 26 | AZArizona | $46,610 | $39,780 | $51,240 | 1,100 | $46,297 |
| 27 | CTConnecticut | $46,280 | $38,440 | $53,920 | 2,030 | $44,668 |
| 28 | MIMichigan | $46,120 | $38,580 | $66,130 | 22,060 | $47,933 |
| 29 | SDSouth Dakota | $46,060 | $41,900 | $53,330 | 490 | $51,995 |
| 30 | KYKentucky | $45,760 | $39,300 | $60,230 | 7,290 | $50,755 |
| 31 | MAMassachusetts | $45,760 | $39,570 | $57,460 | 2,590 | $43,269 |
| 32 | NJNew Jersey | $45,680 | $40,130 | $51,800 | 1,950 | $41,983 |
| 33 | ARArkansas | $45,580 | $37,140 | $51,160 | 3,020 | $52,429 |
| 34 | OHOhio | $45,230 | $38,360 | $50,640 | 13,350 | $48,753 |
| 35 | GAGeorgia | $45,080 | $38,690 | $50,730 | 5,260 | $46,815 |
| 36 | TNTennessee | $44,780 | $37,580 | $48,310 | 5,380 | $48,743 |
| 37 | SCSouth Carolina | $44,420 | $39,230 | $49,290 | 4,100 | $47,382 |
| 38 | ALAlabama | $43,830 | $37,850 | $48,000 | 6,000 | $49,345 |
| 39 | VTVermont | $43,560 | $39,640 | $51,950 | 70 | $44,468 |
| 40 | NCNorth Carolina | $43,400 | $37,390 | $50,090 | 3,940 | $46,011 |
| 41 | WVWest Virginia | $43,070 | $35,410 | $57,570 | 290 | $48,125 |
| 42 | TXTexas | $42,720 | $36,940 | $47,460 | 13,290 | $44,015 |
| 43 | DEDelaware | $41,640 | $39,860 | $48,380 | 240 | $41,720 |
| 44 | OKOklahoma | $40,930 | $36,260 | $49,870 | 2,480 | $46,594 |
| 45 | LALouisiana | $40,870 | $37,660 | $48,900 | 760 | $46,334 |
| 46 | MSMississippi | $40,650 | $36,220 | $48,990 | 1,700 | $46,749 |
| 47 | IDIdaho | $39,580 | $37,650 | $46,200 | 720 | $41,448 |
| 48 | FLFlorida | $39,440 | $36,180 | $46,670 | 2,740 | $38,138 |
| 49 | NMNew Mexico | $39,430 | $36,400 | $45,580 | 220 | $42,760 |
| 50 | PRPuerto Rico | $24,090 | $21,840 | $28,670 | 240 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic, that changes the ranking: Oregon leads on raw pay at $53,680, while Iowa leads once prices are taken into account at $54,967.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the most?
Oregon reports the highest median wage for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic at $53,680 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Maine ($51,820) and Washington ($51,160).
Which state pays cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic the least?
Among the 49 reporting states, New Mexico reports the lowest median for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic at $39,430 a year, $14,250 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $24,090.
Is the highest-paying state the best for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic after cost of living?
Not on this data. Oregon pays the most on paper ($53,680) but ranks 10th of 49 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($51,934). Iowa leads after that adjustment at $54,967, from a raw median of $48,240. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.