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Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · SOC 51-4031

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in the Dubuque Metro Area

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Dubuque, IA metro area

Figures describe the Dubuque, IA metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Dubuque city limits.

Median annual wage$49,740
Median hourly wage$23.91

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in the Dubuque, IA metro area earned a median of $49,740 per year ($23.91 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $38,590 at the 10th percentile to $55,820 at the 90th. BLS estimates 130 people work in this occupation in the area.

Pay distribution

Half of Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in the Dubuque metro area earn more than $49,740 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $44,310 and $55,090.

Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS)
Wage10th25thMedian75th90th
Annual$38,590$44,310$49,740$55,090$55,820
Hourly$18.56$21.30$23.91$26.49$26.84

A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.

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How this area compares

  • Dubuque metro areathis metro area
    $49,740
  • Iowastate (IA)
    $48,240
  • United Statesnational
    $46,330

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

The median here is +3% vs Iowa overall and +7% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.

Compare with other areas

Where this metro sits nationally

$24,090$42,260$60,430$78,600San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR — $24,090Valdosta, GA — $33,820McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX — $33,840Columbus, GA-AL — $35,390El Paso, TX — $35,410Shreveport-Bossier City, LA — $35,730Corpus Christi, TX — $36,370Twin Falls, ID — $36,510Brownsville-Harlingen, TX — $36,610Idaho Falls, ID — $36,940Johnstown, PA — $36,960Lubbock, TX — $36,980Rocky Mount, NC — $37,090Auburn-Opelika, AL — $37,160Goldsboro, NC — $37,390Tyler, TX — $37,400Dothan, AL — $37,590Waco, TX — $37,700Charleston-North Charleston, SC — $37,880Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL — $38,040Mansfield, OH — $38,200North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL — $38,230La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN — $38,290Port St. Lucie, FL — $38,290Pittsfield, MA — $38,340Jefferson City, MO — $38,400Monroe, MI — $38,410Gadsden, AL — $38,420College Station-Bryan, TX — $38,500Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL — $38,580Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL — $38,650Bay City, MI — $38,740Savannah, GA — $38,840Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL — $38,890Trenton-Princeton, NJ — $39,000Coeur d'Alene, ID — $39,030Greensboro-High Point, NC — $39,150Altoona, PA — $39,300Macon-Bibb County, GA — $39,370Albuquerque, NM — $39,440Lima, OH — $39,440Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $39,440Battle Creek, MI — $39,510Lewiston, ID-WA — $39,520Traverse City, MI — $39,600Anniston-Oxford, AL — $39,720Morristown, TN — $39,860Memphis, TN-MS-AR — $39,880State College, PA — $39,940Owensboro, KY — $39,970Abilene, TX — $40,000Longview, TX — $40,010Johnson City, TN — $40,110Killeen-Temple, TX — $40,180Wichita Falls, TX — $40,260Waterbury-Shelton, CT — $40,290Fort Smith, AR-OK — $40,480Boise City, ID — $40,560Springfield, MA — $40,560Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC — $40,610Raleigh-Cary, NC — $40,620Sioux City, IA-NE-SD — $40,680Dalton, GA — $40,730Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL — $40,800Athens-Clarke County, GA — $40,840Tuscaloosa, AL — $40,920Joplin, MO-KS — $40,930Oklahoma City, OK — $40,930Niles, MI — $41,090Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC — $41,240Chattanooga, TN-GA — $41,320Youngstown-Warren, OH — $41,440Paducah, KY-IL — $41,470Ocala, FL — $41,510San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $41,530Dover, DE — $41,640Jacksonville, FL — $41,650Sherman-Denison, TX — $41,740Gulfport-Biloxi, MS — $41,980Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI — $42,050Spartanburg, SC — $42,300Burlington, NC — $42,480Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA — $42,630Ann Arbor, MI — $42,650Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR — $42,720Wilmington, NC — $42,890Fort Wayne, IN — $42,960Montgomery, AL — $43,030Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $43,030Jackson, TN — $43,150Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH — $43,250Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $43,420Erie, PA — $43,470Syracuse, NY — $43,610Visalia, CA — $43,710Cleveland, TN — $43,720Columbia, SC — $43,790Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $43,830Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA — $43,920Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $43,950Mobile, AL — $43,960Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL — $44,060Logan, UT-ID — $44,060Kokomo, IN — $44,080Bloomington, IN — $44,130Elmira, NY — $44,190Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH — $44,220Amherst Town-Northampton, MA — $44,350Lebanon, PA — $44,400Michigan City-La Porte, IN — $44,410Binghamton, NY — $44,440Kalamazoo-Portage, MI — $44,440Lexington-Fayette, KY — $44,440Sioux Falls, SD-MN — $44,550Texarkana, TX-AR — $44,610Bowling Green, KY — $44,790Pocatello, ID — $44,790Florence, SC — $44,800Worcester, MA — $44,800Odessa, TX — $44,820Jackson, MI — $44,840Springfield, OH — $44,840Columbus, OH — $44,890Jackson, MS — $45,070Merced, CA — $45,130Springfield, MO — $45,230Birmingham, AL — $45,270Decatur, AL — $45,350Knoxville, TN — $45,420Tucson, AZ — $45,430Wichita, KS — $45,460Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $45,470Toledo, OH — $45,500Kingston, NY — $45,540Clarksville, TN-KY — $45,560Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $45,570Midland, TX — $45,600Elkhart-Goshen, IN — $45,620Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $45,650Eugene-Springfield, OR — $45,690Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $45,760Akron, OH — $45,770Grand Junction, CO — $45,840Tulsa, OK — $45,860Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT — $45,870Durham-Chapel Hill, NC — $45,930Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV — $45,940Madison, WI — $45,980Muncie, IN — $46,010Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT — $46,020Manhattan, KS — $46,030Bakersfield-Delano, CA — $46,060Anchorage, AK — $46,100Cedar Rapids, IA — $46,170South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI — $46,270Peoria, IL — $46,280Cleveland, OH — $46,300Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $46,310Manchester-Nashua, NH — $46,380New Orleans-Metairie, LA — $46,380Wausau, WI — $46,470Providence-Warwick, RI-MA — $46,540Utica-Rome, NY — $46,570Rochester, NY — $46,580Eau Claire, WI — $46,590Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $46,640Ogden, UT — $46,670Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $46,740York-Hanover, PA — $46,790Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV — $46,900Williamsport, PA — $46,930Kankakee, IL — $46,940Pittsburgh, PA — $46,940Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $46,950Yakima, WA — $46,960Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $46,980Canton-Massillon, OH — $46,990Rockford, IL — $47,030Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC — $47,120Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA — $47,160Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $47,170Greeley, CO — $47,190Asheville, NC — $47,230Fargo, ND-MN — $47,230Baton Rouge, LA — $47,240New Haven, CT — $47,240Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $47,250Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT — $47,300Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI — $47,330New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $47,360Duluth, MN-WI — $47,410Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA — $47,410Gainesville, GA — $47,470Champaign-Urbana, IL — $47,560Janesville-Beloit, WI — $47,630Carson City, NV — $47,690Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY — $47,790Evansville, IN — $47,790Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA — $47,830Columbus, IN — $47,880Colorado Springs, CO — $47,890Huntsville, AL — $48,000Chambersburg, PA — $48,030Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $48,080Fresno, CA — $48,100Lynchburg, VA — $48,100Lawrence, KS — $48,130Lansing-East Lansing, MI — $48,200Gettysburg, PA — $48,300St. Cloud, MN — $48,370Fort Collins-Loveland, CO — $48,390Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA — $48,510Winston-Salem, NC — $48,520San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $48,600Topeka, KS — $48,600Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $48,640Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI — $48,650Roanoke, VA — $48,700Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $48,710Medford, OR — $48,760Lancaster, PA — $48,780Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI — $48,920Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $49,000Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $49,000San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $49,040Billings, MT — $49,210Richmond, VA — $49,270Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $49,430Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL — $49,430Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY — $49,520Stockton-Lodi, CA — $49,540Longview-Kelso, WA — $49,570Reno, NV — $49,600Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA — $49,600Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT — $49,610Omaha, NE-IA — $49,610Amarillo, TX — $49,690Dubuque, IA — $49,740Salem, OR — $50,330Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI — $50,460Napa, CA — $50,510Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA — $50,610Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $50,770Green Bay, WI — $50,820Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $50,920Ithaca, NY — $50,980Columbia, MO — $51,080Kenosha, WI — $51,130Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR — $51,160Pueblo, CO — $51,590Jonesboro, AR — $51,610Glens Falls, NY — $51,630Fond du Lac, WI — $51,780Boulder, CO — $51,980Vallejo, CA — $52,360St. Louis, MO-IL — $52,630Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA — $52,630Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN — $52,710Portland-South Portland, ME — $52,780Rochester, MN — $52,830Kansas City, MO-KS — $52,840Sheboygan, WI — $52,850Appleton, WI — $53,560Modesto, CA — $53,600Bend, OR — $53,680Reading, PA — $54,760Sandusky, OH — $54,770Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $54,920Saginaw, MI — $55,630Albany, OR — $56,410Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $57,110Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA — $57,290Lincoln, NE — $57,780Mankato, MN — $57,850Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $58,240San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA — $58,580Lewiston-Auburn, ME — $59,300Bellingham, WA — $59,380Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ — $60,080Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN — $60,230Oshkosh-Neenah, WI — $62,250Rome, GA — $63,740Flint, MI — $78,600

Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.

The Dubuque metro area has the 46th-highest published median for this occupation among the 283 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Other metro areas in Iowa

Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.

  • Dubuque metro areathis page
    $49,740
  • Waterloo metro area
    $49,600
  • Davenport metro area
    $49,430
  • Des Moines metro area
    $48,510
  • Cedar Rapids metro area
    $46,170
  • Sioux City metro area
    $40,680

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

Keep exploring

Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:

Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$50,320First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$77,130Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$56,100Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,180Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,800Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$52,110

Highest-paying metro areas for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics · Highest-paying occupations in Dubuque Metro

About this estimate

These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.

Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.

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.