Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
Median $46,460
Occupation · SOC 51-9196
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: pay and where the jobs are
What paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$50,270 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $52,840
- Median hourly wage
- $24.17
- Mean hourly wage
- $25.40
- Employment
- 96,130
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-9196.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders make?
The median annual wage for paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders was $50,270 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $37,300 and the highest-paid 10% more than $70,320. As an hourly rate, the median is $24.17. About 96,130 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Oklahoma ($63,640), Maine ($61,780) and Utah ($60,790). Oklahoma also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,300 | $17.93 | $3,108 | $2,679 |
| 25th percentile | $44,920 | $21.60 | $3,743 | $3,189 |
| Median | $50,270 | $24.17 | $4,189 | $3,548 |
| 75th percentile | $60,180 | $28.93 | $5,015 | $4,211 |
| 90th percentile | $70,320 | $33.81 | $5,860 | $4,858 |
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: pay by state
44 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$58,054 take-home in national prices
2
$53,972 take-home in national prices
3
$52,029 take-home in national prices
Where a median paper goods machine setters, operators, and tender paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 1,390 | $63,640 | $39,480 | $79,410 | $50,996 | $58,054 |
| Maine | 740 | $61,780 | $47,310 | $83,340 | $49,019 | $50,509 |
| Utah | 1,350 | $60,790 | $45,880 | $73,270 | $48,732 | $49,292 |
| Washington | 2,170 | $59,410 | $44,640 | $74,410 | $49,092 | $45,875 |
| Louisiana | 1,150 | $58,230 | $44,480 | $79,730 | $47,607 | $53,972 |
| Minnesota | 1,960 | $58,150 | $40,250 | $74,310 | $46,217 | $46,863 |
| Kentucky | 2,670 | $58,050 | $46,450 | $76,610 | $46,909 | $52,029 |
| Wisconsin | 8,510 | $58,050 | $45,740 | $70,240 | $46,850 | $49,790 |
| Idaho | 480 | $57,950 | $50,930 | $89,760 | $46,780 | $48,987 |
| Oregon | 680 | $56,810 | $46,300 | $83,640 | $43,757 | $42,335 |
| Illinois | 5,360 | $56,400 | $39,830 | $62,810 | $44,850 | $44,869 |
| New Mexico | 100 | $53,930 | $34,080 | $72,340 | $44,144 | $47,872 |
| New York | 3,280 | $52,800 | $35,830 | $68,510 | $42,091 | $39,002 |
| Alabama | 3,800 | $52,290 | $36,670 | $79,660 | $42,025 | $47,313 |
| Pennsylvania | 7,410 | $51,780 | $37,910 | $70,000 | $42,159 | $43,208 |
| Michigan | 3,000 | $50,540 | $38,950 | $66,750 | $40,892 | $42,499 |
| New Hampshire | 230 | $50,200 | $39,630 | $68,890 | $42,516 | $40,816 |
| Georgia | 5,650 | $50,160 | $35,140 | $75,900 | $40,729 | $42,297 |
| South Carolina | 2,460 | $50,040 | $37,560 | $79,320 | $41,385 | $44,144 |
| Virginia | 2,370 | $49,900 | $36,950 | $78,210 | $40,220 | $39,780 |
| Arizona | 1,190 | $49,160 | $37,300 | $58,270 | $40,845 | $40,570 |
| Colorado | 240 | $48,940 | $39,090 | $66,860 | $39,843 | $38,663 |
| Florida | 1,360 | $48,910 | $37,390 | $74,990 | $41,479 | $40,110 |
| Massachusetts | 1,920 | $48,840 | $38,600 | $65,220 | $38,976 | $36,855 |
| Indiana | 2,580 | $48,780 | $36,070 | $60,800 | $39,965 | $42,822 |
| California | 5,570 | $48,730 | $37,450 | $65,210 | $39,738 | $35,890 |
| Rhode Island | 240 | $48,710 | $35,590 | $51,890 | $39,573 | $38,691 |
| Arkansas | 2,060 | $48,630 | $35,870 | $61,770 | $39,942 | $45,944 |
| Connecticut | 650 | $48,530 | $38,500 | $72,900 | $38,997 | $37,639 |
| Delaware | 160 | $48,110 | $35,480 | $62,130 | $38,651 | $38,725 |
| Nebraska | 300 | $47,980 | $37,070 | $55,600 | $39,428 | $43,759 |
| North Carolina | 4,800 | $47,940 | $35,480 | $63,410 | $39,296 | $41,659 |
| Texas | 3,740 | $47,830 | $36,490 | $66,200 | $40,611 | $41,843 |
| Maryland | 480 | $47,780 | $34,980 | $60,090 | $38,668 | $36,841 |
| Nevada | 380 | $47,780 | $39,690 | $63,350 | $40,571 | $40,580 |
| Missouri | 1,540 | $47,560 | $37,370 | $59,400 | $39,096 | $43,050 |
| Ohio | 4,640 | $47,450 | $38,570 | $60,680 | $39,445 | $42,517 |
| Mississippi | 960 | $47,380 | $33,800 | $80,770 | $39,087 | $44,951 |
| Tennessee | 3,490 | $46,920 | $31,550 | $60,170 | $39,880 | $43,409 |
| South Dakota | 130 | $46,910 | $36,270 | $57,310 | $39,872 | $45,010 |
| Iowa | 1,010 | $46,110 | $37,420 | $83,480 | $38,129 | $43,446 |
| New Jersey | 3,210 | $45,950 | $35,330 | $62,920 | $37,726 | $34,673 |
| Kansas | 420 | $45,840 | $35,920 | $55,360 | $37,254 | $41,362 |
| Puerto Rico | 240 | $30,530 | $21,840 | $55,670 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-9196. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.