Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood
Median $42,770
Occupation · SOC 51-7042
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing: pay and where the jobs are
What woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$43,380 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $43,570
- Median hourly wage
- $20.86
- Mean hourly wage
- $20.95
- Employment
- 61,420
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-7042.
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See where your pay falls among woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing make?
The median annual wage for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing was $43,380 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $32,110 and the highest-paid 10% more than $56,830. As an hourly rate, the median is $20.86. About 61,420 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($52,980), Minnesota ($51,540) and Iowa ($51,200). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Iowa.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing 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 | $32,110 | $15.44 | $2,676 | $2,332 |
| 25th percentile | $37,100 | $17.84 | $3,092 | $2,666 |
| Median | $43,380 | $20.86 | $3,615 | $3,086 |
| 75th percentile | $48,720 | $23.42 | $4,060 | $3,444 |
| 90th percentile | $56,830 | $27.32 | $4,736 | $3,987 |
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing: pay by state
48 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
$47,886 take-home in national prices
2
$44,777 take-home in national prices
3
$44,273 take-home in national prices
Where a median woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 1,250 | $52,980 | $43,990 | $61,440 | $44,015 | $41,130 |
| Minnesota | 710 | $51,540 | $45,780 | $60,120 | $41,384 | $41,963 |
| Iowa | 1,100 | $51,200 | $39,540 | $57,480 | $42,025 | $47,886 |
| New Jersey | 410 | $49,680 | $36,670 | $78,590 | $40,502 | $37,224 |
| Oregon | 2,120 | $49,480 | $39,690 | $59,440 | $38,476 | $37,225 |
| Nebraska | 490 | $49,190 | $39,340 | $49,190 | $40,346 | $44,777 |
| Michigan | 5,250 | $47,680 | $38,130 | $54,500 | $38,715 | $40,237 |
| Louisiana | 400 | $47,170 | $38,570 | $61,570 | $39,052 | $44,273 |
| Connecticut | 150 | $47,140 | $37,440 | $57,250 | $37,950 | $36,628 |
| Colorado | 440 | $46,500 | $34,100 | $62,620 | $38,001 | $36,875 |
| Vermont | 200 | $46,480 | $39,120 | $56,560 | $38,403 | $39,204 |
| Maryland | 420 | $46,470 | $36,820 | $63,320 | $37,677 | $35,897 |
| New Hampshire | 440 | $46,450 | $39,130 | $62,040 | $39,503 | $37,923 |
| Massachusetts | 890 | $46,430 | $37,190 | $55,910 | $37,171 | $35,148 |
| California | 3,530 | $46,370 | $37,700 | $57,520 | $37,998 | $34,319 |
| Rhode Island | 100 | $45,880 | $31,200 | $58,960 | $37,436 | $36,602 |
| North Dakota | 280 | $45,820 | $40,470 | $48,790 | $38,996 | $43,836 |
| Idaho | 830 | $45,730 | $36,980 | $57,670 | $37,609 | $39,383 |
| Montana | 360 | $45,610 | $32,020 | $58,100 | $37,441 | $39,559 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,310 | $44,980 | $36,060 | $60,960 | $36,909 | $37,828 |
| Wisconsin | 2,610 | $44,450 | $35,430 | $55,170 | $36,592 | $38,889 |
| Maine | 440 | $44,370 | $37,400 | $55,680 | $36,254 | $37,356 |
| Ohio | 2,710 | $43,930 | $35,010 | $53,150 | $36,713 | $39,573 |
| New York | 1,250 | $43,720 | $35,910 | $64,070 | $35,325 | $32,732 |
| Kansas | 470 | $43,580 | $30,560 | $57,580 | $35,564 | $39,486 |
| Mississippi | 860 | $42,090 | $29,630 | $56,150 | $35,048 | $40,307 |
| South Carolina | 1,660 | $41,990 | $29,720 | $57,010 | $35,371 | $37,730 |
| South Dakota | 490 | $41,740 | $31,070 | $51,870 | $35,718 | $40,320 |
| Indiana | 3,570 | $41,600 | $35,230 | $57,550 | $34,408 | $36,867 |
| Illinois | 1,820 | $41,360 | $36,970 | $53,160 | $33,510 | $33,524 |
| Nevada | 310 | $41,090 | $33,900 | $50,170 | $35,196 | $35,203 |
| West Virginia | 280 | $40,020 | $29,860 | $49,120 | $33,292 | $37,199 |
| Wyoming | 40 | $39,930 | $27,800 | $46,010 | $34,264 | $36,966 |
| Arizona | 1,430 | $39,440 | $36,790 | $49,830 | $33,278 | $33,054 |
| Virginia | 1,520 | $39,370 | $32,500 | $48,410 | $32,364 | $32,011 |
| Utah | 1,050 | $39,260 | $35,360 | $49,680 | $32,671 | $33,046 |
| Florida | 1,840 | $38,740 | $32,700 | $52,260 | $33,308 | $32,208 |
| New Mexico | 150 | $38,650 | $32,850 | $59,300 | $32,541 | $35,289 |
| Missouri | 940 | $38,640 | $34,600 | $49,260 | $32,348 | $35,619 |
| Kentucky | 1,320 | $38,080 | $32,650 | $48,290 | $31,562 | $35,007 |
| North Carolina | 4,090 | $37,550 | $30,180 | $48,120 | $31,362 | $33,248 |
| Georgia | 2,280 | $37,380 | $29,780 | $53,160 | $31,098 | $32,295 |
| Arkansas | 760 | $36,850 | $25,960 | $59,630 | $30,913 | $35,558 |
| Alabama | 2,580 | $36,750 | $29,140 | $49,390 | $30,223 | $34,026 |
| Oklahoma | 260 | $35,990 | $31,110 | $61,060 | $30,024 | $34,179 |
| Tennessee | 1,840 | $35,290 | $29,330 | $46,420 | $30,536 | $33,238 |
| Texas | 2,130 | $33,840 | $21,690 | $46,230 | $29,370 | $30,261 |
| Puerto Rico | Not published | $21,840 | $21,840 | $23,230 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-7042. *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.