Pay by state · 44 states
Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender Salary by State (2026)
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders earn the most in Oklahoma at $63,640 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $30,530 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $50,270. All 44 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $63,640Oklahoma
- National median
- $50,270BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $30,530Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 44of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OKOklahoma | $63,640 | $48,950 | $68,420 | 1,390 | $72,447 |
| 2 | MEMaine | $61,780 | $50,450 | $64,890 | 740 | $63,658 |
| 3 | UTUtah | $60,790 | $49,550 | $61,880 | 1,350 | $61,489 |
| 4 | WAWashington | $59,410 | $49,960 | $64,650 | 2,170 | $55,517 |
| 5 | LALouisiana | $58,230 | $49,530 | $75,820 | 1,150 | $66,015 |
| 6 | MNMinnesota | $58,150 | $47,260 | $63,310 | 1,960 | $58,963 |
| 7 | KYKentucky | $58,050 | $50,800 | $61,250 | 2,670 | $64,386 |
| 8 | WIWisconsin | $58,050 | $47,840 | $62,260 | 8,510 | $61,693 |
| 9 | IDIdaho | $57,950 | $51,300 | $58,180 | 480 | $60,684 |
| 10 | OROregon | $56,810 | $47,990 | $63,800 | 680 | $54,963 |
| 11 | ILIllinois | $56,400 | $47,300 | $59,890 | 5,360 | $56,424 |
| 12 | NMNew Mexico | $53,930 | $46,060 | $57,830 | 100 | $58,485 |
| 13 | NYNew York | $52,800 | $44,980 | $61,170 | 3,280 | $48,925 |
| 14 | ALAlabama | $52,290 | $38,380 | $64,060 | 3,800 | $58,870 |
| 15 | PAPennsylvania | $51,780 | $45,390 | $61,200 | 7,410 | $53,069 |
| 16 | MIMichigan | $50,540 | $48,220 | $60,620 | 3,000 | $52,527 |
| 17 | NHNew Hampshire | $50,200 | $47,700 | $61,240 | 230 | $48,193 |
| 18 | GAGeorgia | $50,160 | $44,870 | $60,010 | 5,650 | $52,091 |
| 19 | SCSouth Carolina | $50,040 | $43,490 | $61,680 | 2,460 | $53,377 |
| 20 | VAVirginia | $49,900 | $39,860 | $60,440 | 2,370 | $49,355 |
| 21 | AZArizona | $49,160 | $40,850 | $50,880 | 1,190 | $48,829 |
| 22 | COColorado | $48,940 | $47,580 | $58,000 | 240 | $47,491 |
| 23 | FLFlorida | $48,910 | $42,220 | $61,210 | 1,360 | $47,295 |
| 24 | MAMassachusetts | $48,840 | $43,170 | $59,760 | 1,920 | $46,181 |
| 25 | INIndiana | $48,780 | $46,170 | $57,330 | 2,580 | $52,267 |
| 26 | CACalifornia | $48,730 | $40,910 | $59,390 | 5,570 | $44,012 |
| 27 | RIRhode Island | $48,710 | $37,710 | $49,260 | 240 | $47,624 |
| 28 | ARArkansas | $48,630 | $44,510 | $57,300 | 2,060 | $55,937 |
| 29 | CTConnecticut | $48,530 | $43,150 | $64,710 | 650 | $46,839 |
| 30 | DEDelaware | $48,110 | $38,390 | $50,860 | 160 | $48,203 |
| 31 | NENebraska | $47,980 | $41,830 | $49,470 | 300 | $53,250 |
| 32 | NCNorth Carolina | $47,940 | $38,260 | $56,870 | 4,800 | $50,824 |
| 33 | TXTexas | $47,830 | $39,260 | $54,420 | 3,740 | $49,280 |
| 34 | MDMaryland | $47,780 | $38,620 | $53,850 | 480 | $45,523 |
| 35 | NVNevada | $47,780 | $44,340 | $49,920 | 380 | $47,790 |
| 36 | MOMissouri | $47,560 | $44,270 | $57,100 | 1,540 | $52,369 |
| 37 | OHOhio | $47,450 | $44,310 | $57,190 | 4,640 | $51,146 |
| 38 | MSMississippi | $47,380 | $41,130 | $58,640 | 960 | $54,489 |
| 39 | TNTennessee | $46,920 | $37,070 | $56,060 | 3,490 | $51,072 |
| 40 | SDSouth Dakota | $46,910 | $38,310 | $47,520 | 130 | $52,954 |
| 41 | IAIowa | $46,110 | $38,930 | $67,340 | 1,010 | $52,540 |
| 42 | NJNew Jersey | $45,950 | $37,450 | $59,110 | 3,210 | $42,232 |
| 43 | KSKansas | $45,840 | $37,710 | $51,150 | 420 | $50,895 |
| 44 | PRPuerto Rico | $30,530 | $22,840 | $37,510 | 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 Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, that changes the ranking: Oklahoma leads on raw pay at $63,640, while Oklahoma leads once prices are taken into account at $72,447.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders the most?
Oklahoma reports the highest median wage for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders at $63,640 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Maine ($61,780) and Utah ($60,790).
Which state pays Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders at $30,530 a year, $33,110 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Oklahoma first at $72,447 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $63,640. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.