Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · SOC 51-4031
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastics
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas
Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Top 25 of 283 metro areas
| # | Metro area | Median annual | Employment | Per 1,000 jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flint, MI | $78,600 | 380 | 2.8 |
| 2 | Rome, GA | $63,740 | 200 | 4.5 |
| 3 | Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | $62,250 | 560 | 5.9 |
| 4 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $60,230 | 3,100 | 4.5 |
| 5 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | $60,080 | 730 | 1.9 |
| 6 | Bellingham, WA | $59,380 | 30 | 0.4 |
| 7 | Lewiston-Auburn, ME | $59,300 | 60 | 1.2 |
| 8 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $58,580 | 410 | 0.4 |
| 9 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $58,240 | 640 | 0.4 |
| 10 | Mankato, MN | $57,850 | 60 | 1.1 |
| 11 | Lincoln, NE | $57,780 | 270 | 1.5 |
| 12 | Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $57,290 | 30 | 0.6 |
| 13 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $57,110 | 800 | 0.7 |
| 14 | Albany, OR | $56,410 | 70 | 1.5 |
| 15 | Saginaw, MI | $55,630 | 390 | 4.9 |
| 16 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $54,920 | 1,000 | 0.5 |
| 17 | Sandusky, OH | $54,770 | 200 | 4.1 |
| 18 | Reading, PA | $54,760 | 610 | 3.5 |
| 19 | Bend, OR | $53,680 | 50 | 0.4 |
| 20 | Modesto, CA | $53,600 | 140 | 0.7 |
| 21 | Appleton, WI | $53,560 | 610 | 4.9 |
| 22 | Sheboygan, WI | $52,850 | 330 | 5.4 |
| 23 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $52,840 | 1,330 | 1.2 |
| 24 | Rochester, MN | $52,830 | 200 | 1.6 |
| 25 | Portland-South Portland, ME | $52,780 | 60 | 0.2 |
Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic overview.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.